


Lost and Found

by Anaklusmos14



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-02-04
Updated: 2014-04-02
Packaged: 2018-01-11 04:33:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 38,606
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1168750
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anaklusmos14/pseuds/Anaklusmos14
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Percy Jackson left Camp Half-Blood. He left the world of the gods after losing the love of his life. Lost, he and a couple friends find a new purpose, something that gives their lives meaning when it had none. Now their old lives are calling to them; old friends and family who need them. But haven't they given enough? AU of post HoO.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Ch. 1

Ch. 1

Twelve immortal beings sat in a vast and lavish throne room high in the sky above New York City. The year was 2016 and the past five years had been anything but peaceful for the gods of Olympus and their children.

Five years earlier, the Titan Lord Kronos, father of the eldest Olympians, had managed to rise from Tartarus along with a handful of other Titans and wage a war against the gods in an attempt to overthrow them and take control of the world once again. The war had cut especially deep into the world of demigods. Brothers and sisters were forced to choose sides, often ending up on opposite sides of the battlefield. The war had claimed hundreds of demigod lives and cut emotional scars so deeply in others that they never truly recovered.

The second Titan War had been a lesson to the Olympians, one they were forced to never forget as they watched their own children, driven by anger and hatred born of their neglect, take up arms side by side with monster and Titan alike in an effort to destroy them.

In the end the gods had been saved. Not by their power or strength or by the might of the demigod children forced to fight to defend them but from one simple act; a singular act of sacrifice and forgiveness by a child who had lost so much in his short yet difficult life.

Luke Castellan had plunged a dagger into his own body in an act of bravery and sacrifice never before seen by the gods of Olympus as he destroyed the Titan Kronos and scattered his essence so far it would be millennia before he would be able to think about rising again.

It hadn't been Luke alone that made the decision. Two other heroes, Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase, were by his side fulfilling the greatest prophecy seen in the era of the gods and proving in the end that no matter how dark things had gotten there was always a way back; a way to rectify mistakes and earn redemption when it thought impossible.

While Percy and Annabeth were hailed as the saviors of Olympus, they never forgot who it was that made the true sacrifice that saved them all. Their family and friends, the gods and the campers all seemed to forget about Luke and were eager to give the credit to the two young demigods.

Annabeth was named the new architect of Olympus, given free rein to design whatever her heart desired within the city of the gods.

Percy was offered a gift that hadn't been offered since the days of Heracles; the chance to become a god… immortal, undying, to live forever as his father's lieutenant.

Being the consummate hero, he denied the offer in the hope that his reward could be used more productively; a chance for demigods to be recognized by their parents so that never again would siblings have to look across the battlefield and see their brothers and sisters taking up arms against them after the feeling of neglect drove them into the arms of the enemy.

Percy Jackson was not a simple person. He was actually quite smart. Perhaps not in the book sense but one would be foolish to call him unintelligent. Many thought he was exactly that after turning down the chance to be a god but they failed to see things in the long term. Being immortal sounded like the greatest thing in the world but without the people he loved, was it really something he was interested in?

His answer was a bold no.

Despite the young age of sixteen, he knew life was only as good as the people you shared it with. His family and friends, they were mortal and if he wanted to enjoy his life with them, then that was what he needed to be as well.

Perhaps if he had known what was to come, he might have chosen differently.

Instead of a peaceful life, he and Annabeth were again thrown into a war where the very survival of the gods and the mortal world lay on their shoulders.

Yes, this time they shared the burden with five other heroes, all of whom were more than willing to carry their share of the weight but it was a war unlike anything they could have imagined.

In the end, they managed to defeat the primordial goddess of the earth but it came at a great cost.

Annabeth was killed in the final battle.

The battle was lost but in a final effort for vengeance against Percy for surviving Tartarus and sending her back to her slumber, Gaea had one of her minions slay Annabeth as she and Percy led the final charge against Gaea's army.

Driven on by the pain and anguish of seeing the love of his life lying bloody and lifeless on the battlefield, his rage was unfathomable. The gods who witnessed the scene couldn't help but remember the Trojan War and the rage of Achilles which had become just as legendary as his prowess on the battlefield.

Once over, not even his father, the powerful lord of the seas dared try to speak to his son.

After the battle and all of the Olympian forces, demigod and godly, had returned to New York, the gods held another ceremony the elder Greek demigods remembered all too bitterly from the Titan War.

Rewards were offered to the six surviving demigods of the prophecy.

Three chose to accept the gift of immortality from the gods.

Hazel Levesque was given the gift of being granted passage into the Isles of the Blessed instead of returning to Asphodel. The gods had to abide by the ancient laws and short of making her a goddess, nothing could prevent Hazel from returning to her afterlife. Hazel took the honor of admission into the realm of the world's greatest heroes gratefully though her heart was heavy at what she was forced to leave behind.

At hearing Hazel's fate, Frank Zhang walked out of the throne room knowing his one wish had just been shot down by the gods.

That left just one demigod.

And Percy Jackson again chose to pass on immortality.

This time his choice was not met his anger as his first had. The Olympians and his fellow demigods knew that immortality was likely the last thing he wanted.

Instead of asking for another gift, Percy simply declined their offer and remained silent. Many of the gods, his father more than anyone, worried about his state of mind. The grief of Annabeth's death able of be read from his face.

Even the goddess of wisdom could not help but feel pity for the son of her rival. Her own grief cut her deeply and she knew the son of Poseidon hurt just as she did. She had accepted the love her daughter and Percy Jackson shared and had hoped to give them her blessing after the final battle.

Even now, two years later, the goddess often thought about her fallen daughter and the son of the sea. But as her thoughts drifted to her loss and the musings of what could have been, the sound of her father clearing his throat loudly broke her from her memories.

"Do you have an opinion of the problem?" Zeus asked looking at his daughter, his wisest and most trusted child, hoping she would shed some of her wisdom on what actions needed to be taken.

The goddess looked like a deer caught in the headlights. She was always attentive in their meetings and rarely went without her opinion on a matter being heard. But she had been so wrapped up in her thoughts of the past, she had missed her father's words.

"The attacks on the demigod camps." Poseidon added quickly. "We surely must take action. We cannot leave our children to fend for themselves; not after the last two wars, not after losing so many of them in the past conflicts."

Athena's mind was quick as she remembered the reason they were there. The troubling attacks on both Camp Half-Blood and Camp Jupiter over recent months as well as the strange monster activity, so eerily similar to those leading up to the second Titan War.

"What have the hunters seen in their recent hunts? How have the monsters been acting?"

Zeus looked at his daughter strangely before turning to Artemis. "Could you report what you told us a moment ago now that Athena is paying attention?"

The goddess of the hunt threw a concerned glance at her usually attentive sibling, "Just what we've been noticing over the past few months, no change. They seem to conjugate together more often, rarely being found outside of groupings like those that have attacked the half-blood camps but no reason behind it can be deciphered."

Athena shook off the embarrassment of being caught not paying attention.

"What can we do? The ancient laws prevent direct interference. Perhaps we need to help them with the coordination of their defenses. Other than that, we cannot interfere."

Zeus frowned. He had hoped for a more helpful response but knew she was correct.

"The problem is not with how we can help our kids. The main issue is we need to figure out why the monsters are attacking and acting the way they are." Hermes interjected. "If we can figure out what's going on, then we can help our kids out by letting them know what they are up against."

The council murmured their agreement but they had mentioned this before. The fact was that they were at a loss. Both Gaea and Kronos were not possible. The Titan was scattered to the winds and the earth goddess in a slumber she couldn't hope to wake from for millennia. The other Titans were all accounted for leaving the immortals of Olympus at a loss for what could be the reason behind the organized attacks.

"Why don't you bring the camp leaders to Olympus? We can work with them on the defenses of camp." Athena asked after the silence had gone on long enough.

Zeus looked around the throne room, but when he saw no objections, he nodded to Hermes who vanished from his throne in flash of golden light.

A few minutes later the god of messengers returned with three demigods; a darkly dressed male who looked around maybe eighteen or nineteen and two teens who looked slightly older. One had startling blue eyes, blonde hair and a scar on his lip. The last was an attractive female with dark hair and eyes that seemed to be constantly changing color.

The three demigods bowed to the gods before rising and looking around wondering why they were there.

Zeus opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted by Athena who was looking at Hermes with confusion.

"Where is Jackson?"

The messenger god frowned, "What do you mean? He doesn't live at camp anymore."

Athena looked to the god seated beside her father. Poseidon merely shook his head.

"Perseus could not bear the memories he had in camp. He left shortly after the end of the war. He is fine but we have not spoken for some time." His voice held a hint of sadness but he knew his son was just trying to separate himself from his past.

Zeus looked slightly alarmed by this news. "Where is he? Why was I not made aware that he no longer resided at the demigod camp?"

Poseidon glared at his younger brother, knowing his mind was already wandering to what Percy could be up to without his knowledge.

"Like I said, I don't know. The last time we spoke was over a year ago. He needed some time to deal with his losses of friends and loved ones in the war. I have no idea where he is at the moment."

Zeus turned to the three demigods, "Jason, where is Jackson?"

The immortal demigod shrugged his shoulders, "I don't know. Since he left, no one has heard anything from him. I think that's how he wants it so no one has really looked for him."

Zeus' frown deepened. He couldn't help but he disturbed by this news. The attacks against the demigod camps with no explanation behind them and now learning they had lost their most powerful demigod was too much for the lord of the skies to deal with.

"Well someone has to know where Jackson is, he did not simply disappear!"

The King of the Gods looked around but found no one looking guilty as if they were hiding something.

"Then a quest must be issued or Artemis shall track Jackson down." Poseidon stood up at these words but Zeus held up a hand to stop his brother from going off on him. "We simply need to find him. No harm is to come to him, but he should know of the situation at the camps, I find it unlikely he would stay away if he knew they were in danger."

"She's not going to find him." A new gruff voice said as all eyes went to the war god as he examined the tip of his spear as if trying to find a flaw in its make.

"What?" Artemis growled assuming he meant she was not capable of finding a single demigod.

Ares rolled his eyes, "Relax Wonder Woman, you won't find him because you won't be looking in the right spot."

Zeus began to get irritated with the way his son seemed to be saying less than he knew.

"Out with it Ares, I have no patience left for games."

The god of war rolled his eyes again before he closed them. A minute later they snapped open, "You want to know where Jackson is? Here, see for yourselves."

The war god waved his hand as an image appeared in the middle of the throne room.

At first, it was hard to tell what they were looking at. All that could be seen was a bright light. But the image seemed to back up and a building could be seen. It wasn't a building you'd see in an American city but something you'd find in a Middle Eastern ghetto. The building was just sitting there, no life could be seen in or around it as many of the people in the throne room looked at Ares confused. Before anyone could ask though things suddenly went very active, very fast.

A shadow appeared in a window of the building before there was the sound of a silenced rifle being shot. The window shattered and the shadow seen in it dropped to the ground.

A number of the people in the room gasped but remained glued to the image playing out before them.

Three soldiers appeared from the side of the building, one pulled something from his waist while the other two were crouched against the building. The soldier with something in his hand held up three fingers, then two and on one he tossed something through the open window before a blinding flash went off. When the light faded, the image shifted to inside the building where the door was suddenly kicked in from the outside.

A half-dozen soldiers in camouflage holding assault rifles poured into the room. A door at the other end of the room opened and two men opened fire at the soldiers. One of the soldiers was hit in the leg before his comrades dropped the two enemies.

A soldier walked across the room, checking the room the enemies had come out from.

"Clear!"

Another soldier checked the other room while two more checked upstairs while the others tended to the wounded soldier.

"Clear!"

"Clear!"

The soldiers all returned to the main room as they looked around for something.

"Intelligence said he was here. Maybe it was a bad tip." A female voice said looking at a taller soldier.

The soldier, who appeared the leader, held up a hand. The other soldiers, even the injured one, all went silent, not moving a muscle as the leader looked around the room. He suddenly dropped his hand and walked across the room. He stopped near the wall and looked down. The other soldiers simply watched.

He suddenly opened fire with his rifle, shooting a wide circle in the floor before he stopped. The sound of whimpering could be heard faintly as the room went silent again.

Two of the soldiers walked over to the spot the bullets circled and pulled up some of the floorboards to reveal a small crawlspace, barely big enough for a person. But sure enough, a Middle Eastern male who looked to be in his mid to late forties was curled up in the fetal position.

The two soldiers pulled the man out and searched him. When they removed the handgun, they stepped away as the leader stood in front of the man. The soldier reached up and removed his helmet and visor as a collective gasp was heard in the throne room.

Percy Jackson stood before the man looking very different than he did the last time anyone in the room had seen him. He was a man now, a little over six feet with a good amount of muscle packed on. He looked like he needed a shave but that seemed to make him more appealing in the eyes of the woman in the throne room. Aphrodite stared at the image as her mind raced with the things she could do with his love life or for her own personal enjoyment.

Percy looked down at the man and then at the soldiers he was with. He nodded at them as they removed their helmets as well. Three of the soldiers were unknown to the gods and three demigods but the other two garnered a similar reaction to Percy's unveiling.

The female pulled off her helmet to reveal short cut brown hair and an arrogant smile as she looked down at the captured male. Clarisse La Rue looked like she had grown up considerably since her days at Camp Half-Blood. Like Percy, she had lost her boyfriend Chris Rodriguez in the war against Gaea and decided the memories they shared at Camp Half-Blood were not something she wanted a constant reminder of. Everyone assume she went to live a normal mortal life, and it seemed she had, for the most part.

The last figure pulled off his helmet as Jason, Piper and Nico all choked a bit in shock. Frank Zhang, still the chubby cheeked Asian Canadian they remembered stood beside his half-sister Clarisse. He looked to have grown taller and packed on muscle as well. His face was still pudgy with a military hair cut but the rest of him seemed to have finally matured into adulthood as he held his rifle, a surprising smile on his face as well as he looked down at their captive.

All eyes in the throne room were on Percy who still stood with a stoic expression in front of the man.

"Surrender," the man said with a heavy accent.

Percy tilted his head to the side but kept his face free of emotion.

The man looked away from Percy's eyes until they landed on his uniform. He noticed the flag patch on his sleeve.

"Canada, you are forgiving nation" he said nodding. "I surrender to Canada."

Quicker than thought possible, Percy pulled a handgun from his waist and fired a bullet straight into the skull of the man.

Piper and her mother both let out shocked yelps as they watched Percy kill someone in cold blood.

"Not an option, actually."

The soldiers in the room seemed unfazed by the brazen killing of the surrendering man. They all still had smiles on their faces. Clarisse patted Percy on the back while Frank took off his pack, setting it down in front of him as he began to dig through it. He pulled something out, a six-pack of beer and tossed one to Percy and then Clarisse and then to the other three members of their team. Even the soldier with a bullet in his leg seemed to be in good spirits as he stood with a tourniquet around his wound.

Percy cracked open his beer and grinned, holding up the beverage as the others did the same in a toast to their successful mission.

"Enough." Zeus growled as the image faded away. No one in the room spoke, all unsure what to say.

Poseidon stood up, his trident clutched tightly in his hand and he looked ready to kill someone.

"What did you do to my son?"

Ares stood up, his face holding genuine indignity, "I didn't do anything to the kid. He is there because he wants to be. He is a warrior, a soldier. What did you expect? Being your kid, he gets put into war from the age of 12. Now that he's 21, you expect him to live a peaceful life as some hippy? The kid was born to be a warrior, I just gave him what he wanted, another war to fight."

Zeus stood up and slammed his master bolt into the throne room floor, "Enough. Hermes, get Jackson and the other two. We need a word with them."

Hermes looked unsure. He glanced at Ares whose face was red but he bit his tongue. The messenger god vanished only to reappear a moment later with the three demigods.

The minute their surroundings solidified, Percy whirled around and fired a bullet straight through the forehead of the messenger god. The bullet passed through harmlessly.

"Sorry Perce, that won't work on me."

Before anyone could object, Frank put a gun to the side of the messenger god's head.

"True but this one certainly will." He said as he pulled back the hammer on the gun packed with celestial bronze bullets.


	2. Ch. 2

Ch. 2

Percy Jackson sat in the Humvee, the bumps in the road sending him up and down as they drove at an accelerated pace down the old cattle trail towards the city. His mind had been focused on the mission at hand when he was distracted by thoughts of the past and how much his life had and had not changed in the past two years.

Two years ago, he was standing side by side the love of his life, his best friend, his Wise Girl in a battle at the foothills of the original Mount Olympus. That was in his life as a demigod, a son of Poseidon who had led his fellow demigods in wars not just as the Earth Goddess Gaea but also against the Titan Lord a couple years earlier. A war that had begun the moment he learned he was a demigod and was forced on a quest to find Zeus' stolen master bolt and hadn't ended until he was nineteen. The day he watched Annabeth lying lifeless and bloody, an Empousa's spear impaled through her spine.

Other than the end though, it wasn't necessarily a bad life. His old life was just different. It was the kind of life that you read about in fictional books, the kind mortal children wish they had, not knowing what it really meant. They have no idea what it is like to watch your cousin sacrifice herself to save you against a giant metal automaton that should be on your side given the god who created it. Or to watch a girl who hated you with every fiber of her being at the onset of the journey grow to become a close friend only to die at the hands of her own immortal father in order to save a goddess who looked at you like an insect; one who barely recognized your existence because you were born with a dick instead of a vagina until you take the literal weight of the world for her.

The kind of life where you are thrown into an ancient maze, struggling against impossible odds to find an object that is sought after by powerful immortal beings born millennia before your mother was even a thought in your grandparents mind. Or where you were forced to throw yourself into a deadly river in hopes of giving yourself just a slightest of chances to survive a battle against a foe so powerful the gods dared not speak of his name until he was knocking at their doorstep with an army of thousands.

That was his old life though, a life he left behind before finding a new purpose.

The aftermath of the second Giant War had been far worse than the Titan one a couple years earlier. Many demigods had fallen in the final battles at the feet of the original Mount Olympus. Though Annabeth had been the most popular, she was only one of the many who lost their lives on those ancient grounds, the roots of the Olympians.

Returning to Camp Half-Blood, Percy had hoped to put her death behind him, to move to on, perhaps help train the next generation of heroes in hopes they could have had better lives than the ones he and his friends had.

But it seemed every part of his home held some memory, a painful reminder of a moment he and Annabeth shared together.

He wasn't the only one. Frank Zhang, the chubby cheeked and slightly awkward Asian Canadian who had been a part of the seven who sent the earth goddess into her millennia long slumber felt the same discomfort and pain when returning to Camp Jupiter. He was forced to relinquish him Praetor position, a job given to him when Jason decided his new place was with the Greeks and his girlfriend, now wife, Piper. Hoping for a fresh start, he traveled to Camp Half-Blood, the relations between Greeks and Romans significantly improve after the execution of Octavian who, as Athena had stated, "was a direct and significant contributor to Gaea's war effort, even if his motives were driven by only a greed and lust for power".

Needless to say, not many tears were shed for the auger who had few allies by the end of the war.

Unfortunately for Frank, he found little comfort in his new surroundings. Rather than places with memories of his time with his deceased love, Camp Half-Blood was full of people whom he and Hazel had spent a significant amount of their short time together with.

Neither he nor Percy found much comfort in their lives at Camp Half-Blood. Unsure of what else to do, both contemplated leaving until they found another option in the most unlikely of sources.

It happened in the arena. Percy was trying to help Frank with his swordsmanship which was anything but good. They both shared the bond of losing loved ones and seemed to be drawn to each other due to that and the fact that they had become good friends while on their journey to Greece in the Giant War.

Percy has batted aside a feeble attack from Frank when out of the corner of his eye, he saw Clarisse bidding goodbye to a few of her siblings. Curiosity getting the better of him, he disarmed Frank with a flick of his wrist and approached the often surly daughter of Ares.

"You're leaving?"

Clarisse let go of her siblings hand and turned to face her sometimes adversary and sometimes friend.

"I need a break. My father gave me some advice and I've decided to take it. I'm leaving for a while. I'll come back in a couple years but I can't be here at the moment."

His curiosity peaked, the son of Poseidon had pressed on, asking more about her escape plan. It took a while but after talking for a bit, Clarisse and Percy had finally found something that brought them together.

The pain of loss and the desire for something else had given them a common ground, one which led the often stubborn son of Poseidon to swallow his pride as ask for a favor from one of the gods least likely to grant his wish.

To his utter disbelief, the war god had understood his wish and even more shockingly, offered a solution to not only him but his Roman son as well. One which freed them from the constant reminders of their fallen loved ones and gave them a new life, a new purpose, one which both were already quite accustomed to.

That was what brought the son of Poseidon to his current location; a seat inside a Humvee, in the middle of Afghanistan. He glanced down at his uniform, the Canadian flag emblazoned on his sleeve. Perhaps not his first choice, but in honor of the war god's fallen love and the mother of one of his best friends, he joined the Canadian military. Ares had created documents for both him and Clarisse showing their Canadian citizenship and the duo, along with Frank enlisted in the armed forces.

The trio, two siblings and a second cousin on their godly sides, grew to be closer than thought possible. It didn't take long for their talents to be recognized either. Right out of training, they were selected for Special Forces, something that surprised only Frank who found compared to mortals, he was actually quite skilled in most types of combat, his firearm accuracy surpassing even that of both Percy and Clarisse.

Soon enough, the Humvee came to halt, the team exiting and moving towards a nearby building to prepare for their mission.

Their target building was still a few blocks up the street. They team filed out of the two Humvees and quickly moved from the street to a nearby ally where they had more cover from the watchful eyes of the less than troop-friendly citizens. Percy took the lead, keeping close to the walls of one of buildings as they hurried through the alleyway, coming to a halt twenty feet from where the alley and road met.

Without a word, Percy held up his hand. He pointed at his eyes and then to the left where six of the soldiers took off to, going through another alley to find a location to provide support. He pointed to the right as another six of the soldiers took off to find good places to provide support and cover for their approach.

Without another word, Percy took off towards the street. The remaining eleven soldiers following close behind. They crossed the mostly empty street before splitting off one block in front of their target building, six heading to the left while Percy led Frank, Clarisse and three others to the right.

It took only a moment more before they reached their destination. They moved like a well-oiled machine, their training and skills on full display as their footsteps were silent. Percy and the others stopped and stood with backs against the side the building. They waited for the signal to continue.

Hearing the sound of the silenced sniper rifle followed shortly by the "all-go" signal in his helmet, Percy stood just to the side of the window. He pulled a grenade from his waist and held up three fingers. On one, he threw the flashbang through the window.

Within seconds, Percy was at front of the door. Frank came forward with a battering ram and smashed it open. First through the door was Percy with Clarisse right on his heels. The others followed closely behind.

A door across the room flew open as two men with Ak-47s wildly opened fired. The mortal to his left cried out in pain before the gunfire was met with return fire. Clarisee fired two shots into the foreheads of each man with the speed and precision of a skilled marksman.

Percy turned to his fallen soldier, "Zhang, La Rue, Bergeron. Clear the building. The three soldiers took off, securing the building as Percy knelt with the other soldier to get a look at the injury.

"It's a flesh wound." The soldier grunted. "I'm fine Cap."

Percy took his eyes off the wound and looked up at his soldier, a slight look of amusement on his face, "You sure about that Côté? You're looking a little white. I'm sure Tremblay here would have no problem looking after that pretty little thing you've got on speed dial while you recover."

The soldier looked over at the other who was tying a tourniquet around his wound with a mischievous smirk on his face. Even through his visor, Percy could see Côté's eyes narrow dangerously, "I'd sooner cut the leg off, sir."

Percy bit back a laugh and smiled, "I thought as much. Rub some dirt on it, we're not quite done yet." He stood back up as Clarisse, Frank and Bergeron all returned to the room after clearing the building.

"Intelligence said he was here. Maybe it was a bad tip." Clarisse said looking at Percy. The son of Poseidon closed his eyes for a second, sending out his senses and getting a feel for all the water in the room. He identified the forms of his soldiers and where they were before extending his senses further until his eyes snapped back open.

He put up a hand as the others froze, not moving a muscle. He walked across the room, honing in on the spot before he stopped. He looked back and smirked at his team before he raised his C7 Assault Rifle and opened fire on the floor of the building. He shot a wide arcing circle into the floor before he stopped.

The horrified whimpering of a man could be heard from the underneath the floorboards. Percy nodded with his head as Privates Bergeron and Tremblay stepped up, grabbing the floorboards where the bullets had broken them and ripped the. up revealing a small-framed Middle Eastern man curled up in the fetal position in a crawl space that barely fit him.

The two privates pulled the man from his hiding spot and searched him, removing a gun found tucked in his waistband before shoving him in front of Percy who looked at him with an impassive face.

"Is it him?"

Clarisse pulled out an electronic device, pulling up a picture of their target, before she grinned evilly.

"Positive identification."

Percy sighed, reaching up and pulling off his helmet. The heat in this country would take a lifetime to get used to.

He looked at the man with cold green eyes. They held none of the mirth he had shone when talking to his injured comrade moments earlier. No, his eyes were filled with a controlled anger, one of a battle hardened war veteran who knew exactly the type of human being was in front of him.

Frank cleared his throat garnering Percy's attention. He turned, realizing what Frank was asking. He nodded his agreement as Frank and the others also removed their helmets, a short reprieve from the blistering heat of the day.

"Surrender," the man said in heavily accented English.

The captured man looked at Percy fearfully. Though his expression was stoic, his eyes were harsh and unforgiving and forced the man to look down where he saw his uniform. The man seemed genuinely surprised, if not pleased, when he saw the Canadian flag emblazoned on his sleeve.

"Canada, you are forgiving nation," he said nodding. "I surrender to Canada."

To the man's relief, Percy gave him a big smile making him look at the son of Poseidon gratefully... Before Percy pulled out a Browning 9mm handgun and put a bullet right between his eyes.

"Not an option, actually." Percy muttered looking down at his lifeless body with disgust. Long gone were the days when he was a teenage demigod who feared taking a human life. Through two godly wars and now a mortal one, he had learned the difference between killing and killing with purpose. He knew the difference between a person who made bad choices and those who were truly evil. His conscience was quite clear and would remain the same after his latest kill.

He felt a hand on his back as Clarisse gave him her nod of approval. Frank slipped his pack off and pulled out a six-pack that had become a tradition for their team. He tossed Percy a beer who smiled at his friend.

He cracked it open and held it up, "To the world having one less child-murdering piece of trash in it!"

The others raised their beverages in agreement before they all downed their beers in seconds. Percy crumpled the empty can in his hand still smiling.

"Let's get the fuck out of the sandbox, I think Côté needs to ice his vagina."

The others let out raucous laughs at their comrade's expense before it was halted by a blinding light appearing in the room. They were all forced to shield their eyes before Percy felt the sensation of being grabbed and pulled hard. When he felt his feet under him again, he didn't even hesitate, pulling out his handgun and putting a bullet through the head of his captor.

The bullet passed through harmlessly and Percy's eyes went a little wide on his laid eyes on his captor.

"Sorry Perce, that won't work on me." The messenger god said sounding genuinely apologetic.

Before Percy could object, Frank put a gun to the side of the messenger god's head.

"True but this one certainly will." He said as he pulled back the hammer on the gun packed with celestial bronze bullets.

Hermes felt a rare moment of fear as Frank Zhang held a gun to his head. He could sense the celestial bronze bullets inside the gun, one sitting in the chamber ready to be unloaded into his head. Sure, he was immortal and he couldn't be killed, well not truly killed, but a bullet straight to the brain would undoubtedly send him to Tartarus for at least a decade to reform. He knew he was quick but after what he saw in the image and how quickly Frank had the gun to his head, he wasn't sure he was fast enough to get away before Frank pulled the trigger.

Percy looked around the room, realizing where he was and who it was he just tried to shoot and who Frank was holding a gun to. He cursed mentally; this was not where he wanted to be.

"Balls," he muttered under his breath. "Stand down Frank."

Frank slowly pushed the hammer of the gun back and let his eyes finally take in his surroundings. "Oh, shit."

Percy turned to Hermes who still looked a bit frightened, "Lord Hermes, I'm really sorry. We didn't know it was you. You kind of snuck up on us and that is usually not something anyone other than people trying to kill us try to do."

The god of messengers relaxed a little, "Yeah, sorry Perce." He said before turning to Frank with a harsh glare. Ares coughed loudly making Hermes give up on scaring Frank and made his way back to his throne. The war god nodded to his Roman son, undoubtedly proud of the way he handled himself.

Zeus had watched the situation unfold in a shocked silence. These were not the same two demigods who had helped stop Gaea a couple years earlier. They were very different, even without witnessing the scene in the image, the way they carried themselves had changed very much since the war with the earth goddess.

Percy looked around the room noticing all the Olympians were in attendance and even some of his old friends as he got a feeling he was not going to like the reason he was here. He found his father looking at him worriedly. He gave him a small smile that the sea god returned but it looked almost forced.

"Did we do something wrong?" Clarisse finally asked, annoyed at being kidnapped from their lives by the gods who only called when they wanted something.

"Well, you did just kill some poor guy in cold blood," Aphrodite said giving Clarisse a slightly distasteful look, "but that is not why you are here."

"What? You were watching us?" Percy asked incredulously. The Olympians just looked at him strangely. He acted so very different than the boy who had returned Zeus' bolt all those years ago. "And for your information, you're quite wrong Lady Aphrodite. I suggest you not pass judgment unless you know what it is your speaking about." He said a little bitterly.

The love goddess looked taken aback but before she could speak, Ares snapped his fingers as an image again appeared in the middle of the throne room.

In the image, a man, the same man they had seen Percy shoot in the head just moments earlier, drove a rusty jeep down the dusty streets of a city. The gods watched curiously as they watched the jeep pull up to a busy marketplace.

The man stepped out and opened the back door where two small children filed out, a young boy and girl, neither older than five or six. The man grabbed two backpacks from the vehicle and helped the children put them on. After exchanging a few words, he kissed both children on the heads before shooing them off into the market. The man got back in the jeep, started the vehicle up and put it in gear. As he pulled away from the market, he reached over to the passenger seat and grabbed something.

In his hand was a small remote which his fiddled with before the sounds of an explosion could be heard plain as day. In the rear view mirror, a billowing column of smoke, fire and debris could be seen clear as day.

Ares snapped his fingers again as the image disappeared, most of the room looking shocked at what they just witnessed.

"So, with all due respect, my lady," Percy said in a cold tone. "Please do not attempt to pass judgment on something you know nothing about, especially without looking at the skeletons in your own closet first."

Aphrodite's mouth hung open, unsure of how to even respond to his harsh but accurate words.

"Um," Frank said a little awkwardly. "No disrespect or anything my lords and ladies but can we leave? We were sort of in the middle of something when you grabbed us."

"Or could you at least let us know why we're here?" Percy added having no wish to get on the bad side of the gods, especially Zeus, at the moment.

"They wouldn't let it go." Ares grunted. "They were going to send the hunters after you so I just showed them you were busy."

"For what?" Percy asked looking at the gods in disbelief.

"Not to kill you, son." Poseidon explained. "We just needed to find you."

"And what? The telephone has gone out of style? I'm really not that hard to get ahold of. All you had to do was ask Mom how to get into contact with me. I wasn't hiding. I just have a life, one you've ripped me out of for a reason no one seems to want to tell me."

"Camp Half-Blood." Zeus snapped, his irritation with Percy's apparent lack of fear getting on his nerves. "There have been attacks on both camps over the past months. The campers have suffered losses and they could use experienced demigods in their midst."

The effect was immediate as both Percy's and Clarisse's expressions darkened. They exchanged a look along with Frank before Percy shook his head.

"We can't do that." Most of the room looked at him in disbelief. "Camp isn't our life anymore. We have our own responsibilities and duties to attend to. I truly am sorry but we left that part of our lives and, while the world of monsters and whatnot may never leave us completely, we won't go back."

The throne room was eerily silent. No one thought he would be so quick to reject the prospect of helping the camp.

"But Percy," Poseidon argued.

"No Dad." Percy cut him off. "I love you. I am proud to be a son of Poseidon but I don't want to be a demigod. I don't want to go back to that life. There are too many memories and we have too much baggage. There is a reason we were half way across the world."

Poseidon slumped back in his throne. He wasn't going to try and force his son to do anything. He had done more than enough and if this was the life he wanted, he had earned that choice.

"You would deny a request from the gods?" Zeus asked with a slight edge to his voice.

Percy's eyes snapped to the King of the Gods. His expression was harsh before a laugh escaped his lips. Most of the room looked at him like he was insane. Before Zeus could snap, Percy spoke.

"Or what, you'll kill us? Do you not see the lives we live? We could die tomorrow and you know what, we're okay with that. What happens if we die? We go to the Underworld where we get to see all the people we lost. But if we do die, it's going to be on our terms, certainly not yours. Not anymore. Not after everything we've done for Olympus. We served our time, I was your errand boy, your little hero for close to a decade. My life is mine now and if you can't deal with that, strike me down here and now. I promise I have no fear of death."

Zeus and the other gods stared at Percy in disbelief. It was clear he no longer feared them and had no intention of doing anything he didn't want to.

Zeus' arm tensed as he thought about going to his bolt but a voice stopped him in his tracks.

"You'd be bloody and dead on the floor before you ever had the chance."

He looked over to find his older brother staring at him with such seriousness that he dared not make a move.

The throne room was suddenly full of tension. No one expected the meeting to go this way but apparently Percy Jackson and his friends had had their fill of being a tool for the gods.

"Will you not do anything? For the ones you left behind, the ones who don't have the experience you have?" The words had come from Athena who had seen the way Percy looked at every other Olympian other than her.

For the first time since arriving in the throne room, Percy looked into the piercing grey eyes of the goddess of wisdom. He knew what he would find in those eyes; pain. The same startlingly beautiful eyes Annabeth had were now looking at him not angrily but almost pleadingly.

Percy broke his gaze from the goddess, looking at the ground as he pushed back the memories of Annabeth's death.

"Why do you need us? We're just demigods. Don't you have immortal campers to deal with this stuff now?" He asked looking at Jason and Piper who grew a sudden interest in the marble floor.

"They are fully immortal and bound by ancient laws from direct interference." Zeus answered.

Percy glanced at his friends, "So you're about as useful as a one-legged guy in an ass-kicking contest these days, eh?" A loud laugh escaped the lips of the messenger god as most eyes turned to him.

"Sorry, he makes a good point."

Jason looked at Percy slightly angered by his words, "We help them in every way we can."

Percy sighed, "Yes, I really regret turning down immortality. It sounds fabulous, living forever as the useless guy in the bar fight."

Jason's face turned red with anger. He moved with unbelievable speed, his immortality enhancing his abilities as he grabbed Percy by the front of his uniform. He was about to punch him when the click of a gun froze him in his tracks.

"You've got three seconds to get your hands off our captain or you'll be enjoying the next decade of immortality in Tartarus."

Jason turned to find the barrels of not one but two guns aimed at his head from both sides. He slowly removed his hands from Percy's uniform and took a step back, his eyes looking at Frank with betrayal.

"Save it Jason. You haven't been by my side the past two years. Roman or not, Percy is like blood to me and I'll always back him."

Percy reached out to both sides and lowered the weapons of his two friends before turning to towards Ares and giving him a look. The war god gave him an almost imperceptible nod before Percy turned back towards Zeus.

"I truly am sorry, but this isn't our problem anymore. We've got our own war to fight and despite what you Olympians believe, the lives of mortals are just as important as everyone else's."

Before Zeus could get another word in, Ares stood up

"As soldiers in a war, these three fall directly into my domain. Removing them from combat could alter the fate of the war. Since War is my domain and my domain alone, they are free to leave. No one, save the Fates themselves, can force me to let you use them for your own purposes." The war god snapped his fingers as Percy, Frank and Clarisse all vanished from the throne room which erupted into chaos as shouts of protest for both sides turned furious.

The trio reappeared inside the building in Afghanistan, their fellow mortal soldiers shaking their heads as their glazed eyes came back into focus.


	3. Ch. 3

Ch. 3

The ride back in the Humvee was filled with pointed looks exchanged between the three demigods inside the team. They did their best to act as if they hadn't been teleported around the world in the middle of the mission and thanks to their comrades' slight headaches and general feeling of fuzziness, the conversation was limited on the ride back.

Soon enough though, the Humvee slowed down as they reached the gates of Camp Dwyer, their home, at the moment, in Afghanistan. Given that Canada had no major military forces in Afghanistan at the time, they were given their own place within the United States Marine base, who were more than happy to welcome the Special Forces team to their basecamp.

Once through the gate, Percy personally took his injured soldier to infirmary and made sure he was being handled by capable medics before leaving and heading for the JSF-2 grouping of tents within the base.

He found both Clarisse and Frank waiting for him outside the tent that served as their barracks. He gestured for them to follow with his head as they walked a little further into camp before entering through the flaps of a smaller tent. Inside, two Canadian soldiers were seated at a table laughing and talking and clearly enjoying some down time.

Percy frowned a bit, "Guys, I need this tent for a bit."

The two soldiers looked over, smiling when they saw who it was.

"Aw, come on Perce," one said with a grin as he leaned back in his chair, "we just sat down."

Clarisse took two quick steps forward and kicked the legs of the chair out from under the soldier sending him crashing unceremoniously to the ground.

"What the fuck La Rue?" The man snapped from the ground. Clarisse put a foot to his chest before he could get back to his feet.

"That was an order from your superior officer." She growled, "He said clear out, now go!"

Percy stepped up and gestured Clarisse to back off. The soldier stood up with a serious expression, "My apologies sir."

Percy nodded, "Our fault, tough mission. Côté took one in the leg. I'm not sure but I think it might have grazed a vein in his vag. I need a few minutes in private with these two, you mind passing my regards on to our injured comrade?"

The soldier smiled as did the other before giving Percy and over exaggerated salute. "Yes sir. I'll be sure to pass on your deepest sympathies."

Percy nodded as the two soldiers left the tent leaving the three demigods alone inside.

Clarisse noticed Frank staring at her and groaned, "What?"

"Must you make everything violent? Those are our friends."

Clarisse snorted, "Gagnon? I wouldn't call him a friend."

"Perhaps some unresolved feelings Lieutenant? If I'm not mistaken, I seem to recall seeing you and Gagnon being very friendly a few months back." Percy asked looking at Clarisse with a mischievous smirk.

For a moment, the daughter of Ares allowed her face to redden in embarrassment before her expression hardened, "That was nothing worth remembering so forgive me if it slipped my mind."

Frank's expression turned to one of disgust, thinking about his half-sister and Gagnon getting busy inside one of the tents, one he could have slept in.

"Enough." Clarisse growled noticing Frank's look of horror. "We need to talk. What the Hades are we going to do about the Olympians? Forgive me for being cautious but in my years of being a demigod, I seem to remember zero instances where the gods give up when they don't get what they want. I doubt that's the last we'll hear from them."

"Yeah but like Dad said, we're a part of his domain. What can they really do? That's like the one rule gods have to follow." Frank said trying to brush aside her worries.

Clarisse rolled her eyes, "Yeah, but when they don't get what they want, who do you think they'll turn on? They mess with him until he gives in."

"No, he'll have our backs."

Clarisse snorted. She opened her mouth to continue when the wooden chair she had kicked out from under Gagnon was smashed over the table. Both she and Frank turned to look at Percy in shock.

"My gods, you two argue like little prissy schoolgirls."

Frank looked thoroughly embarrassed as he realized Percy was right while Clarisse mirrored his expression.

"You're prissy, Prissy." She muttered under her breath.

Percy looked at his two closest friends and cracked a small smile, "Wow, epic comeback Clarisse."

The daughter of Ares looked ready to crawl in a hole making Percy laugh again.

"Come on guys, let's just relax. We don't even know what the Hades is going on. For all we know, the camps got attacked a couple times and the gods, being their usual paranoid selves, assumed the worst and reached out to us. It could and is probably nothing." He explained until he saw his friends' doubtful expressions. "Regardless, they asked, we replied. End of story. Now we focus on our real lives again. I need both of your heads in the game. Seventy two hours before we move out again and I need both of you on your A games."

The two children of the war god exchanged a look before they nodded.

"And what happens if you're wrong?" Frank asked. "What if this doesn't blow over? What if the gods take us again?"

"Then we tell them to go shit in their hats." Clarisse growled.

Frank shot her a slight glare, "I'm not asking about the gods, I'm asking about the campers. What if this isn't just a bunch of rogue monsters? What if it's something bigger? Do we pretend we're just regular mortals now and leave them to fight themselves?"

Clarisse looked at her brother and then over at Percy as she realized his point was a valid one. Soon both she and Frank were looking at their Captain to hear what he had to say. Even if Percy would deny it, he was their leader both on and off the battlefield. He was a natural leader and both Frank and Clarisse would follow him to Tartarus and back if he asked them to.

Percy was quiet for a moment, his mind quickly weighing everything he learned today as well as the words of his two best friends. He finally looked up, "We do what we do best, wait until the moment comes and find a way to kick it in the ass. We'll play it by ear but no matter what, we go together, right?" He looked at his two friends, making sure they felt the same as he did.

Frank quickly nodded, "Always Perce."

Clarisse nodded as well, "Sounds like a plan. I'm always in favor of kicking something in the ass."

Percy smiled at knowing he and his friends would stick together.

"Come on Frank, let's go get some grub or something. I'm guessing Clarisse is going to want to go repair the damage she did with Gagnon in here a few minutes ago."

Frank looked at Percy with a confused expression before turning to his sister who mirrored his look.

"Why the Hades would I want to that?" Clarisse laughed.

Percy turned his head to the side, looking at her confused.

"Were you not paying attention during the briefing earlier? Frank and I are on the cliffs, you're up in the silo with Gagnon when we move out in a few days."

Clarisse's eyes went wide, "The hell I am!"

Percy held up his hands, "Not my call, I swear. The orders for this came from above me. I'm simply Frank's spotter on the mission. You and Gagnon are our eyes at our ten o'clock." He said seriously before his expression turned mischievous, "Though I shudder to think what the two of you will be doing up there, cramped together with hot sweaty bodies and basically nothing to do for hours."

Clarisse's expression turned to one of disgust before shifting into anger as her eyes narrowed at Percy.

"Frank. Food. Let's go." He grabbed Frank and took off out of the tent laughing before the steaming daughter of Ares could get ahold him.

-x- Line Break -x-

The sun bore down relentlessly overhead. Not a single cloud floated in the sky to provide any hope for relief from the blistering ninety five degree heat that seemed to have no intention of letting up. Not a sound could be heard; no people, no vehicles, not even the wind rustled in the desolate piece of geography where Percy and Frank were at the moment.

"I hate this part." A seemingly normal piece of the landscape appeared to mutter. Suddenly, the ground beside the voice moved as well as Frank turned to give Percy a look, his ghillie suit making it appear as if the ground itself had moved.

Frank turned back and took aim through the scope of his Barrett M82A1M rifle. He scanned the abandoned buildings of a small, overgrown cattle farm. He moved the rifle, following a direct line until he came to the small silo tower slightly off the right. He scanned it for any signs of life but it seemed empty, even if he knew it wasn't.

"Stop bitching Perce, you could be Gagnon right now. How do you think he's dealing with Clarisse at the moment?"

Percy bit back a small laugh, "If he's still alive, then I'm guessing he's trying to put as much distance between him and her as possible at the moment… Poor bastard."

Frank smirked as he thought of his half-sister and how temperamental she gets when forced to sit still in the heat for long periods of time. Their tour in Afghanistan had given him a clear indication of how much her ADHD messed with her, the heat only compounding the problem.

"Either that or they're getting hot and heavy in one of the haylofts."

"Dude," Frank whined. "That's my half-sister. Please, the mental images alone are going to scar me for life and the afterlife."

Percy cackled at Frank discomfort. "Eh, Clarisse isn't so bad. After basic, well, damn, she had a nice ass."

A hard jab connected with Percy's ribs silencing his quiet laughter.

"Dude, enough. Not cool. It was weird enough you two hooked up that one time. Damn it, that was uncomfortable."

Percy laughed again, "The only person it bothered was you. Neither of us could remember much of it so we just chalked it up to the tequila from that night. Besides, if I remember correctly, you kept yourself quite entertained that night. What was her name again?"

Frank looked downright horrified as the memory returned to him.

"Bessie?" Percy teased. "No? Sorry, she was just the size of a small cow."

"I hate you."

"Lies buddy. I'm your best friend and you know it. Besides, it was a weird night for all of us. Just a little extra weird for you when she wanted you to bring her back to base with you in the morning."

Frank shuddered a bit before shaking his head. He decided they were in desperate need of a change in topic.

"What's the plan anyway? We go home in less than a week for leave… What are we doing?"

Percy shrugged, "I don't know about you two, but I'm making a beeline for New York. I need to get some home cooked meals in me before coming back to the desert for the second part of this tour."

Frank suddenly looked uncomfortable, "Oh yeah, you should see your Mom. I didn't really think of that."

A moment of awkward silence came over the two before Percy let a small chuckle escape his lips.

"Come on Frank, I'm ninety nine percent sure my Mom would slam the door in my face if I didn't bring you two with me. Gods, I think she loves you two more than she ever did me. You and Clarisse are family and it's time to visit Sally and Paul and get some much needed down time for a couple weeks."

Frank's face turned a little red but he felt a huge relief knowing he and Clarisse had a place to go other than back to base in Canada.

"I miss those chocolate chips cookies." A small bit of drool formed at the side of Frank's mouth as he thought of Mrs. Blofis' cooking. Before he could think any more about the delicious food, the sound of Clarisse in their helmets broke them out of their casual conversations.

"We've got friendlies incoming, T.S.223 moving southbound along river, 5 klicks from the extraction point."

The effect was immediate as both demigods went to work. Percy leaned down, getting a look through his spotter scope as he located the spot Clarisse mentioned and gaged the distance between them and the small envoy of vehicles.

"I've got the Americans. They're on the move, half a klick to the east of Clarisse's position."

Frank followed the troops through the scope of his rifle. As they watched the U.S troops moving quickly along the river, Clarisse's voice come through the radio again.

"Be advised, possible hostile forces approaching. T.S. 23 on their six o'clock."

About five hundred yards behind the U.S. troops, another small envoy was moving very fast, gaining ground on the Americans as they headed for the extraction point.

"Call them out." Frank announced as Percy scanned the approaching enemy.

"Sector bravo, deep." Percy said calmly. "Vehicle, belt-fed weapon."

"Range it." Frank muttered locating the target.

"950 yards and closing. Wind, three-quarter value. Push two left." Percy answered. "925 yards, wide spot on road."

Frank took a quiet deep breath. He found his target, his eye locked on the scope, his hands were steady, no sign of doubt in his approach. This was what Frank did. He was a sniper and the truth was, he was a damn good one.

"On target," his voice was deathly quiet, his mind focused on the sole task at hand.

"Hold," Percy replied just as calmly. "Fire when ready."

Frank's finger flexed against the trigger guard, before his index finger gently touched the warm metal. He exhaled silently and pulled with just enough power before he felt the familiar kick of the high powered rifle.

Then he waited.

Percy watched as the air appeared to shimmer. It was still clear but it was like a ripple effect on water as he followed the bullets trajectory. He watched it hit the chest of the man on the back of the Technical, firing rounds wildly in the direction of the Americans.

"Hit." Percy announced. The vehicle and the two others skidded to stops as another man jumped from the passenger seat of another vehicle took his fallen comrade's place on the machine gun firing wildly in the general direction where Percy and Frank were hidden.

"Position to machine gun. 800, three quarter value. Fire when ready."

Frank fired another shot as the enemy soldier was hit in the chest and sent flying back off the back of the vehicle, dead before he hit the ground.

The driver jumped out of the vehicle, taking cover behind it as he watched his two comrades be dropped by an unseen enemy. The other enemy soldiers seemed to follow his lead as they began firing their weapons in the general direction of Percy and Frank.

A bullet hit the ground a few yards away from where they were hidden but neither soldier batted an eye.

"Give them a distraction." Percy said as he again peered through his scope. "Gas tank. 825, push one left."

"Got it."

"Fire when ready."

The lead vehicle exploded in a shower of flames as the high powered round hit its gas tank. The hostile forces retreated further back before abandoning the first vehicle and loading up the other two as they took off the direction they had come from.

"Hostiles retreating." Clarisse said through the radio.

"Let's pack it up and met at the rendezvous point." Percy announced as he held out his fist to Frank who fist bumped his friend in congratulation. "That's some fine shooting Frank. Good job, mission success."

Frank smiled as he began to disassemble the large rifle, "Thanks bro."

-x- Line Break -x-

The air was cool in the desert at night. It was one of the few times you didn't want to dip your head in ice water while in Afghanistan. Percy sat a few dozen yards away from the mess hall where Frank and Clarisse were eating their fill, laughing and regaling their fellow soldiers in the details of the day's mission. It wasn't that Percy didn't want to be there with them. In fact, most of the time, he would be in there and one of the loudest as he enjoyed his new life with his two best friends.

But not tonight.

It wasn't often that he allowed himself to get lost in the memories of the past. That was one of the best parts about being a soldier. Always being busy so his mind rarely had a chance to wander and remember some of the painful memories of the past.

But tonight he couldn't keep those thoughts from creeping their way into his consciousness. It had been the impromptu kidnapping by the Olympians a few days earlier that had done it. He couldn't help but think of the friends he had left behind and how they were dealing with whatever problem they were having at the moment. Even if he felt the urge to knock Jason down a peg with a solid right hook, he still cared about him and his other friends; Piper, Leo, Malcolm, Jake, the Stolls, and all the others who had been through so much with him. Hell, he even missed Nico even if he was slightly uncomfortable when he found out about his little crush on Percy. (Not that he had any problem with that, it just wasn't his cup of tea)

Thinking about all his friends still back at Camp Half-Blood, his mind couldn't help but drift to his memories of camp and ultimately to Annabeth and how much he still missed her two years later.

When his mind would wander to her and her death, he would imagine what his life would have been like had she not died in the final battle. Hades, they'd probably be married with a couple little legacies running around causing mayhem much like Percy had done as a kid.

The pain of thinking of what could have been was an all-too familiar feeling and he knew exactly the best way to forget about it as he unscrewed the bottle of whiskey and took a long sip.

"Please don't tell me this happens a lot."

Percy froze. That voice. It was so familiar and it was probably the absolute last one he wanted to hear at the moment. He kept his eyes in front of him, hoping against hope that his mind was playing tricks on him.

Sadly, not even his mind was that big of a dick.

"I'm not going to vanish so you can stop pretending you didn't hear me."

Percy set the bottle down beside him and slowly turned until his eyes landed on the goddess of wisdom in all her glory. He knelt down on knee, having no wish to offend the goddess he wanted to see the least in the world.

"Hello Perseus Jackson." Athena said in a tone that did not reveal her feelings at the moment.

"Lady Athena," he replied in a similar tone.

"Am I interrupting something? I can return later if you'd like to finish your date." She asked looking pointedly at the bottle of booze beside him.

Percy glanced at the bottle of Jack Daniels before shaking his head, "It was just a celebratory drink. And no, I do not drink often… er, well not ever when I'm on duty, which, when I'm here, is almost always."

"Celebrating by yourself?" The goddess raised an eyebrow.

"I needed some time to think. A lot of my mind is all." He replied before making a final effort to avoid the coming conversation. "I had been hoping for some time to myself, to be honest." He hoped the goddess would take the hint. But alas, luck had never been something that shined favorably on the son of Poseidon.

"Take a walk with me Perseus."

Percy didn't move. A stroll in the desert with the mother of his dead girlfriend was not on his list of things to do, well, ever.

Athena seemed to swallow something before speaking, "Please," he realized it was her pride. "I ask that you indulge me just this once and I won't bother you again."

Percy waited for a moment but after thinking about the situation logically, he came to the conclusion he really didn't have another option. He highly doubted Athena would simply leave if he declined and given the fact she would likely become angry if he refused, he nodded his consent.

The two walked through the maze of tents in silence. Percy wasn't exactly sure if she was expecting him to speak first but considering he really didn't have anything to say, he decided to wait for her to say whatever it was that brought her the Afghanistan desert on this particular night.

They walked until ending in secluded spot on the outskirts of the camp. Athena stared at him for moment before moving her gaze to the starry night sky.

"This is not the life I envisioned you living."

Percy turned to look at the goddess, his expression showing his confusion at her statement.

She shook her head at his look, "I had hoped you and my daughter would have been able to share your lives together." Percy forced himself not to scoff at her statement, instead moving his eyes to the stars to avoid her noticing his look of disbelief. "I hope you know, my issue with yours and Annabeth's," Percy involuntarily flinched at hearing her name, "relationship was because of my issues with your father." Athena watched the way his expression darkened at her words. Before she could continue, Percy finally took his eyes off the stars and turned to meet the goddess' gaze with a steely one of his own.

"With all due respect, my lady, could we skip this part? The past is the past and I have no interest in taking a trip down memory lane. Whatever it is you want to ask, just ask. I promise my answer will be just as quick as it is final."

Athena stared at the young demigod before her in a slight bit of awe. Of course she was sure not to show it, but she was quite impressed in the way Percy had matured and grown up. Without another word, she snapped her fingers as an image appeared in front of duo showing the hill outside Camp Half-Blood. Before Percy could object, the goddess spoke.

"Just watch. I'm not asking you to do anything other than watch what I'm trying to show you."

Percy turned from the goddess back to the image. Half-Blood Hill lay in the foreground, Thalia's Tree with Peleus curled around the trunk clearly visible. As he watched, he was confused at the lack of activity. All he was doing was watching Peleus take a nap.

Without warning, a Cyclops dropped out of a shadow about a dozen yards in front of the large dragon. Peleus instantly rose up, taking a protective stance in front of the tree and the Golden Fleece. But the Cyclops, for its part, just stood in its spot, staring at the Fleece's guardian.

Then, a huge shadow appeared behind the dragon, over the camp boundaries, where a small army of monsters were quickly amassed. Peleus turned but could only watch as the monsters poured into the demigod camp.

Soon enough, Percy could hear the sounds of battle in the background yet the image did not follow. Instead, it remained on Peleus who had turned back to the Cyclops as it stood in its same spot just watching the dragon, its eyes occasionally going to the Golden Fleece with a look of longing on its face.

Within a couple minutes, the sounds of combat were over. Smoke could be seen rising up from the interior of camp.

A small shadow appeared behind Peleus, just over the borders of the camp. A somewhat tall man dressed all in black appeared out of the darkness. He watched calmly as Peleus turned to him before he moved with unbelievable speed. His body looked like a living shadow as he was in front of Peleus in seconds. Before Peleus could even bare his teeth, a long curved sword, dark as night, was in his hands. The blade was almost too quick to follow as it traveled on an upward arc, slicing through the neck of the dragon like a knife through butter and severing its head from the rest of its body.

Percy gasped a little as he watched Peleus dissolved into nothing but dust, a feeling of rage rising up in the demigod's chest.

The Cyclops moved towards the fleece but the man held up a hand before another shadow engulfed the one-eyed monster. He glanced at the fleece momentarily before turning his gaze to the pile of dust that was once the guardian of the fleece. He shook his foot, knocking the dust from his boots before he turned and looked directly towards the image. Most of his face was obscured from the shadow of his hood, but a wicked looking smile could be seen clear as day on his lips before he too vanished into the darkness of the shadow.

The image flickered before it vanished.

"He killed Peleus," Percy growled. "I liked that fucking dragon."

Athena ignored the profanity in his statement and shook her head.

"We have no idea who or what he was but he managed to get past the protected borders with apparently whoever he wanted. The killing of the fleece's guardian was a message. He knew he was being watched and he wanted me to know it."

Percy took her words in silently. The scene shown was not a good one. Whatever had the juice to slip past the border's magical protection was nothing to take lightly. He could understand why the gods were worried about the situation.

"Why are you just showing me this now? Why not three days ago on Olympus?"

Athena frowned, "This happened about six hours ago. I had intended to honor your wishes to be left alone but after what I witnessed, I thought it best that you know."

Percy didn't respond to her words. He knew she was trying to pull him in using guilt and his fatal flaw to protect the people he loved. But what the goddess did not know, was that he was not the Percy Jackson she once knew.

"I appreciate you letting me know." He said firmly. "I am sure the campers and you Olympians will figure out the threat and how to handle it."

Athena blinked a couple times, unsure if she had heard correctly. She was sure this would bring Percy back into the fold. Her expression turned to one of disbelief.

"So you'll just ignore what I showed you?"

Percy remained calm but his eyes narrowed ever so slightly. "I am not ignoring it but I cannot help. This is my place now." Athena opened her mouth but Percy held up a hand which surprisingly kept the goddess quiet. "It is not my fight. This is my fight," he gestured around him. "Terrorists have killed thousands of innocent men, women, and children over the last decade. I don't see their lives as any less important than those of the campers. The campers have the gods on their side. They have their demigod skills and powers. These mortals, the oppressed people in many parts of the world have nothing. Without someone to take a stand for them, the tyranny and oppression will never stop. This is where I belong and I am sorry but nothing is going to change my opinion on the matter."

Athena stared at Percy for a moment. She tried to think of a response to argue against his words but in a rare occurrence, her mind came up blank. Finally, she shook her head and looked at Percy sadly. Instead of saying anything, her body began to glow as Percy covered his eyes before she flashed out leaving him once again alone with nothing but his memories and the bottle of whiskey that had reappeared by his feet.

He slowly picked the bottle up and unscrewed the cap. He took a very long drink from the bottle before he hurled it in front of him where it smashed over some rocks. He turned and began to make his way towards the tent that served as the mess hall, his mind now occupied with many thoughts but to his relief, none of them were of Annabeth.


	4. Ch. 4

Ch. 4

Percy took a deep nervous breath. He wasn't sure how he was going to be received given how long it had been since he had been there. Sure, he knew he was loved but people change, Hades knows he had. He wasn't sure how he would be looked at.

Like a coward?

Someone who ran when things got tough?

Someone who abandoned the people he loved in order to hide from the pain of his own losses?

He felt a fist jab him in the back, signaling him to hurry things up. He took one final calming breath and knocked softly on the door. Immediately the sounds of movement could be heard on the other side before the door swung open violently leaving Percy face to face with a beautiful middle aged woman who looked at him expectantly.

"Hi Mom."

"Percy," she breathed like she was exhaling a long held breath.

He was crushed in what felt like a godly-sized embrace. Sally Blofis nearly knocked him off his feet as she lunged forward to embrace her son for the first time in over twelve months.

"Come on Sally, at least let them come inside before you embarrass the boy." Paul said from the doorway, his expression full of genuine happiness at the sight of his stepson and

"Such a momma's boy." Clarisse snickered quietly to Frank. Before Frank could even chuckle, Sally released her son from the hug and turned to the two siblings. Without giving her a chance to protest, she stepped forward and pulled Clarisse into a hug that rivaled the one she had given Percy. Percy chuckled a bit as he watched Clarisse's face turn slightly red from the force of the hug.

Sally moved from Clarisse and turned to Frank who smiled at Percy's mothers before he too was crushed in a very motherly embrace. Once she finally released the son of Mars, Sally Blofis' smile looked ready to split her face.

"Come in, come in. We've been waiting for you guys all day."

Sally ushered the three Canadian Special Forces soldiers into her home. Paul tried to help them by carrying their bags but all three quickly refused. They made their way into the living room where Sally and Paul had been sitting.

"Come on, we can throw our gear in my room." Percy offered.

"Yes, and go wash up. Your timing is perfect, dinner will be ready in a few minutes." Sally said, the large smile still etched onto her face.

Once they dropped off their bags and washed up, the three demigods were seated in the small kitchen of the Blofis' apartment. Paul walked back into the kitchen, a plate of steaks from the grill on the balcony held in his hand as Frank's eye went wide and his mouth began to salivate at the sight and smell of the food.

Suddenly a loud slap was heard.

Sally and Paul both looked to see a red handprint on the chubby cheeks of Frank Zhang whose eyes were wide.

"Stop drooling." Clarisse chided and Frank blushed a little in embarrassment.

"Cut him some slack," Percy snickered at Frank's stunned look. "This is the first real food Frank has seen in months."

Frank sent a glare at his Greek sibling but Clarisse just rolled her eyes.

Within minutes, all three demigods were digging in, savoring their steaks as the food over in Afghanistan, well, it wasn't steak dinner. The conversation was pretty extensive, Sally and Paul interested in everything about the lives of the three demigods over the past year. Percy and his friends were careful to give a PG-13 rated version of life in the middle of warzone. Percy's parents knew what they did over there but not hearing about it during dinner allowed Sally to enjoy the meal and the company without the worrying she often felt while her son was overseas.

After dinner Sally brought out a plate of blue chocolate chip cookies that immediately had Frank with drool collecting in the corner of his mouth. Clarisse noticed and went to slap him again but Frank caught her hand mid-swing before his hand transformed into the razor sharp claws of a Drakon. He squeezed making Clarisse yelp before he released her hand and gave her a slightly smug look.

"That's so not fair." She muttered while Percy merely watched them with amusement.

"So you got that ability from Poseidon, right Frank?" Paul asked as he watched Frank's hand transform back into the meaty paw it was most of the time.

"Yes sir, Mr. Blofis. Apparently it's been passed down in my family for centuries, to demigods and non-demigods alike."

Paul just watched Frank's now normal hand in awe before he turned to Percy, "And you never inherited this power?"

Percy gave a look of mock outrage, "I know, right? I apparently got the shaft."

Frank snorted as he went to take a drink of the milk Percy's mother had laid out on the table. Just as the glass touched his lips, a stream of milk shot out of the glass and straight up Frank's nose causing him to start to choke on the half cookie lodged in his throat. Clarisse clapped him hard the back, successfully dislodging the desert treat and allowing Frank of cough on the milk dripping from his nasal cavity and into his throat.

"Perseus Jackson!" Sally scolded. "That could have been dangerous."

Percy smiled sheepishly, "He would have been fine. He could have transformed into an animal with a bigger throat if need be. Trust me Mom, this isn't the first time Frank's choked after trying to skip the chewing and jump straight to the swallowing."

Frank slowly seemed to regain his composure before giving Percy a murderous look which only seemed to amuse the son of Poseidon.

"So, what are you three up to on your first night back home?" Paul asked deciding a change in subject would do some good.

Percy looked at Clarisse, and then over to Frank; a silent communication going on between the trio before Percy grinned.

"Bars."

Paul chuckled at his stepson's gleeful expression, remembering what it was like to be that young. Sally, on the other hand, looked at Percy with a less amused expression.

"Isn't Frank underage?"

Percy gave his mother a sly smile and held out his hand to Frank who quickly pulled out his military ID. He gave it to Percy who slid it over to Paul.

"How old is Frank?"

Paul slipped on his reading glasses and looked closely down at the identification before raising an eyebrow.

"He's nineteen."

Percy snapped his fingers twice as his smile grew more mischievous. "Check again."

Paul looked down at the identification card again, his eyes widening slightly as he did. "Apparently he is now twenty-two."

Sally gave Percy a disapproving glance, "The Mist is not a toy for you to play with."

Percy snorted, "Really Mom? I think of all the things that go along with being a demigod, using the mist to our advantage is one of the very few perks." Sally did not look amused. Before she could speak though, Percy gave her a reassuring smile, "I promise we'll be responsible Mom. We've been cooped up in the desert for the past year and just want to have a little fun. We'll take a cab and be home at a reasonable hour."

Sally sighed, "You're a grown man, I suppose I really don't have much say in the matter."

Percy got out of his seat and planted a kiss on his mother's cheek, "That'll never be true. You always have a say when it comes to me."

She smiled at his words, "Do you guys need some money for a cab?"

Percy shook his head, "Mom, we don't have bills in Afghanistan. We're quite good when it comes to money."

"Promise me you'll be careful tonight. The city can be a dangerous place at night."

Percy rolled his eyes, "Yeah and I have a friend who can turn into a dragon in case we get into a bad situation." Frank blushed a little in embarrassment but nodded his head as Percy stood up, grabbing his everyone's plates and taking them off to the kitchen. He popped back out a moment later with a mischievous smile on his face.

"We need to shower. The Big Apple won't know what hit it tonight."

-x-

Percy, Frank and Clarisse stepped out of the cab and onto the sidewalk where a line of people were waiting for a chance to get into the bar. The music could be heard clearly from inside as the bar was hopping, people waiting in the large line just for a chance to get in.

"We'll never get in." Frank muttered looking at line of people.

Both Percy and Clarisse turned to look at the son of Mars, their faces showing disbelief.

"What?"

They continued staring at him before his eyes widened and his face reddened in a little embarrassment.

"And there we go." Clarisse said shaking her head at his slow nature.

Percy took the lead, walking along the line of people and towards the bouncers who were waiting for people to leave before allowing others to get in. Just as they reached the bouncers, a group of four walked out of the bar stumbling out onto the street, clearly feeling the effects of a night of drinking.

One of the bouncers looked at the front of the line when Percy suddenly stepped to the front. The guy standing at the front of the line grabbed his arm, clearly agitated by the already long wait.

"Hey…" Percy spun around and snapped his fingers by the guy's head before he leaned closer so only the man could hear him.

"You need to get home as fast as possible. You left your door unlocked and if you don't hurry, you'll be robbed."

The man's eyes glazed over slightly before his eyes widened. He turned to the female behind him and muttered something before grabbing her hand and pulling her out of line, hailing a cab as fast as he could.

Percy turned back to the bouncer who looked at him through narrowed eyes. "I don't know what you said to him but the line starts back there."

Clarisse stepped up to the bouncer and snapped her fingers between him and his co-worker.

"We've been here the whole time. You already checked our ID's and are letting us in."

Both the bouncers stared blankly for a second before the unlatched the hook on the rope and ushered the three demigods inside. A number of shouts of protest could be heard from the people who had been waiting but all were quickly silenced by the formidably-sized bouncers.

"Gods I wish I knew how to use the mist when I was still in school." Percy muttered chuckling at the usefulness of his long practiced talent.

Once inside, the layout of bar was surveyed by the three demigods. The bar had a relatively simple design, half was filled with tables of New Yorkers enjoying a night out and the other half, a dance floor with a DJ pumping out loud music for the numerous patrons looking for a little time up close with the opposite sex. The trio first checked for any kind of threats, though that was second nature for them and done out of pure instinct. After that, the trio found a table in the bar area and took a seat. A waitress was at the table within minutes.

"What can I get you?"

Percy looked at his two friends and held up his hand, mischievous smirk on his face.

"We're going to need six Bud-Light drafts and six of your most expensive shots."

The waitress raised an eyebrow but Percy just smiled and pulled out a hundred dollar bill as he looked at the nametag pinned to her shirt.

"Listen, Amanda, we just spent a year in Afghanistan and this is our first night back. Just keep the drinks coming and there will be another one of these waiting for you when we leave."

The waitress took the money and gave Percy a flirtatious smile as her hand grazed his arm, "Anything for some of our brave soldiers. I'll be right back."

Once she was gone, Frank looked at Percy incredulously, "What was that? Two minutes and you've already found a girl to take home."

Percy rolled his eyes, "I just want to have good night out. This is our first time stateside with nothing hanging over us since before the Giant War."

Clarisse pounded the table in agreement, "Prissy's right. We're here to have a good time… And that starts with copious amount of liquor."

Before Frank could even reply, the waitress was back, a tray full of beers and shots that she laid on the table. Percy handed her a credit card, "Just keep it open, we're going to need a lot more."

She smiled at him before tucking the card into her apron and leaving the three demigods alone at their table. All three grabbed a shot and held them up in a toast to each other.

"To some much deserved leave." Clarisse grinned as they downed their shots. Without missing a beat, they all picked up their second shots and dropped them into their beers, quickly downing the suddenly much stronger draft beers as well. They slammed their glasses down, all three grinning as they picked up their other beers, drinking them much slower as they began laughing and reminiscing about the past year and all the adventures they had been on.

As the night dragged on, their talking and laughing became louder. The truth was, the trio was closer than family and really just needed each other to have a good time. They were enjoying their downtime, kicking it off with a bang as they went through drinks like they did water in the desert, the immortal part of them allowing their tolerance to be much higher than that of normal mortals.

Frank stood up to grab the next round of drinks, losing patience for the waitress to return. As he turned, he collided with a drop dead gorgeous blonde, spilling her drink all over her shirt, giving a clear view of her ample cleavage.

"Oh my gods, I'm so sorry." Frank muttered, a look of horror on his face.

The woman, who couldn't have been much older than twenty one, looked down at her soaked shirt before looking back at Frank and giving him a breathtaking smile that made the son of Mars go a little weak at the knees.

"I think you owe me a drink now….."

"Frank." He blurted out quickly. "Sure, whatever you want."

The woman's smile grew, "A sex on the beach."

Frank's eyes seemed to bulge a little before he quickly nodded, "Here," he offered her his chair. "Join us, I'll be right back with your drink."

The woman took the seat as Frank took off to get her drink and looked at Percy and Clarisse.

"Hi, I'm Vanessa."

Percy and Clarisse exchanged a look before both turned back to the woman smiling, "Percy and Clarisse." Percy said gesturing to himself and Clarisse.

"So, you here by yourself?"

She smiled, "No, I'm here with a few friends. Would you mind if I invited them over to join us?"

Percy shook his head, "The more the merrier, I suppose."

She smiled and took off in search of her friends leaving Clarisse looking at Percy with an eyebrow raised.

"What?"

She just shook her head as Frank suddenly returned, a replacement drink for the woman in his hand as he looked around confused.

"Really Frank?" Clarisse asked.

"What?"

Clarisse held up hers and Percy's empty drinks.

"Shit," Frank muttered. "Sorry, I'll go get 'em."

Clarisse stood up and pushed Frank into his chair, "Stay. I'll get them. I wouldn't want you to get lost again if you see a slut in a low-cut shirt."

Frank opened his mouth to argue but Clarisse was already gone. He turned to Percy, once again looking around for the woman.

"She said she's here with friends. She went to get them." Percy answered the unasked question.

Frank nodded and set the drink down and retrieved another chair for himself, leaving his previous one open for the woman. Within minutes, the woman reappeared at their table, taking a seat in Frank's unoccupied chair and sliding it much closer to Percy's.

"So, these are my two friends, Freddie and Diane." Vanessa said pointing to a brown haired male who looked around twenty-five, a solid build and startling green eyes that looked quite similar to Percy's. The female was a brunette around the same age. She had blue eyes and looked to be the least interested in being there out of the trio. Percy introduced himself and his two friends as they all sat closely on the small table.

"So, you three from New York?" Percy asked knowing Frank was too slow to get the conversation started.

"Not originally but we all moved here not that long ago." Vanessa said keeping her eyes on Percy, much to Frank's dismay. "What about you three?"

Percy shrugged, "I grew up here, Clarisse not that far from the city but ole Frank here comes to us from the fine country of Canada."

Vanessa nodded in understanding, still not taking her eyes from Percy as the conversation began to pick up between the two trios of young adults.

"I feel like dancing," Vanessa said her eyes on Percy who smiled at her but shook his head.

"Maybe later but before that, I believe you owe my friend Frank a dance since he already bought you a drink."

The blonde looked slightly disappointed but quickly covered it up with a fake smile as she held her hand out to Frank who looked like he was caught with his pants down.

"Well Frank, are you just going to leave her standing there?" Percy asked, unable to keep the smirk from tugging at his lips.

Frank looked down at her hand and then up at her face, his own slightly pale with nervousness before he stood up and led her towards the dance floor.

Freddie stood from his seat and looked at Clarisse, "Do you wanna?"

The daughter of Ares looked the young male up and down for a minute, clearly giving him a quick appraisal before she shrugged and stood up, allowing herself to be led to the dance floor leaving Percy alone with the brunette who still didn't look all that interested to be there.

Percy turned around in his seat, gently grabbing the passing by waitress by the arm. He stood up and whispered said something quietly to here before she nodded and took off.

Diane looked at his questioningly but Percy just shook his head, "We were talking earlier, just asking her a question."

She nodded and sat looking somewhat awkward and uncomfortable in the bar scene. Percy watched her but remained silent. Neither spoke until the waitress Amanda returned to the table. In her hand was a tray full of shots along with a mug of beer and a roll of quarters. She laid the drinks on the table as Percy slipped her some money. She handed Percy the roll of quarters, her hand lingering there for a moment as she whispered something in his ear. He muttered a response that made her giggle before she left the table to find another patron in need of drinks.

Diane looked down at the numerous shots and then up at Percy with confusion.

"It's a game. You look bored and you also look like someone who doesn't back down from a challenge."

The brunette looked at Percy through somewhat narrowed eyes, "I really don't drink much."

Percy slowly nodded, "Fair enough but you're sitting at table in the middle of a bar. It's fine if you don't want to, I mean most chicks aren't that at good drinking games, so I understand if you don't want to play."

Diane narrowed her eyes further. She looked like she bit back a more harsh remark before calming. "How do you play?"

Percy smiled at her answer and pushed the mug of beer between them. He broke open the roll of quarters and passed half of them across the table.

"It's simple. You make it, I drink. I make it, you drink." He bounced a quarter off the table that pinged off the side of the mug. Diane was about to respond until Percy continued, "And, if I make, you answer one question honestly. You make, I do the same."

The brunette looked at him questioningly but Percy just shrugged.

"They'll be dancing for a while, this is a good way to break the ice. Sitting here in silence will become awkward pretty quick, don't ya think?"

Diane grabbed a quarter and bounced it off the table before it dropped dead center in the mug of beer. She smirked triumphantly and looked at him expectantly.

Percy grabbed a shot and downed it in one fluid motion before looking at her for her question.

"What do you do?"

"I'm a soldier. Canadian Special Forces."

Diane opened her mouth to ask another question when Percy bounced a quarter that dinged off the edge before crashing into the foamy beverage.

"One question per round." He smirked. She scowled at being cut off until she saw Percy looking at the shots expectantly. She picked one up, holding it gingerly, as if it were a grenade rather than a shot of alcohol. She seemed to accept her lack of choice and downed it in one quick swig.

Percy began to laugh at her look of horror as the taste finally reached her senses causing her to dry heave once at the shockingly bad taste. After a minute, she composed herself, looking slightly embarrassed at her reaction to the drink.

"Sorry, that was kind of funny. First shot I'm guessing?"

She nodded, "It wasn't what I was expecting."

He smirked, "Really, I couldn't tell." She scowled at him but that was wiped clean as he spoke.

"What do you do?"

She froze up for a second before Percy smacked the table, "No stalling! If you stall, you're thinking of a lie. This is a game of truth."

"I work with children. Mostly abused ones who are homeless." She answered quickly.

Percy nodded, "See, not that hard. That's good, sounds like a fulfilling job."

Diane grabbed a quarter and bounced it off the table, grinning as it landed with a tiny splash in the cup.

Percy downed his shot and looked at her for the question.

"Where are you from? Did you grow up here?"

Percy nodded slowly, "I was born here. Grew up in the city until I was twelve but was pulled out of my somewhat peaceful life by my father and his family." He said with a hint of bitterness.

Diane looked a little surprised but also not sure of how to respond. Percy quickly grabbed a quarter and bounced it into the cup to change the subject off him. Diane took her shot with much more dignity the second time around. Knowing what to expect seemed to make it much easier for her.

"Why are you here?"

She looked confused, "What?"

"Why are you here? You don't drink. You don't look like you're here to find a date. Why. Are. You. Here?"

Diane looked out at the dance floor briefly before turning back to Percy. "I was dragged here. Being here is not my choice. I suppose I'm here to babysit those two." She gestured out to the dance floor. Percy eyed her for a second but slowly nodded his head.

Diane bounced a quarter and looked stunned when it clanged off the rim of the mug. Percy smirked, "Almost. My turn again." He bounced a quarter and watched it join the others coins in the bottom of the cup.

Diane sighed and took another shot, this one seeming to go down even easier.

"I'll save my question for next round. It's a two part question."

Diane raised an eyebrow but didn't argue as she picked up a quarter and successfully sunk it. Percy took his shot without hesitation and waited.

"Why are you in New York right now? Shouldn't you be overseas since you're a soldier?"

"I'm on vacation. A year over in a warzone earns you some time to relax before you head back for another year."

Before Diane could even acknowledge his answer, Percy sunk another quarter. She reached for a shot but Percy grabbed it and drank it himself.

"Question one; what gives you the right to come here tonight? Do you really have that little respect for what my friends and I have done for you over the years? Have we not earned our freedom or do you truly think yourself like the others, that we are bound to serve you for eternity?"

Diane looked at him with wide eyes, "What…."

"Cut the crap. I knew who you were the minute I saw you. Same with Apollo and Aphrodite. I honestly thought you of all goddesses would have enough decency to let me have a life. Apparently I was wrong, here you go," Percy held out his hands. "That's why you're here isn't it? To take us back to Olympus? To your prick father so we can be his little puppet heroes and risk our lives for the hundredth time. Better yet, just kill me! That's the endgame isn't it? Use me and my friends until we die or outlive our usefulness?"

Diane stared at Percy in disbelief. Her blue eyes glowed and turned silver. Her brunette hair lightened into an auburn color and her face changed until she stood in the form of a beautiful twenty year old woman, her skin a divine glow to it that it usually had.

"Perseus…"

"Don't." He snapped. "Kill me or capture me. Otherwise, I'm leaving." He looked straight into the eyes of the moon goddess and waited for her to make a decision. After a moment of uncertainty, she lowered her gaze. Percy spun around and stalked onto the dance floor. When he caught sight of his friends, he saw Frank still looking nervous and a slightly irritated Aphrodite. Clarisse on the other hand was in the middle of a heated make-out session with the god of medicine.

Percy sprang towards them, grabbing Apollo by the back of his shirt and spinning him around where a hard fist was driven into his nose, crushing it as the immortal cried out in pain.

"What the Hades Percy?" Clarisse yelled. Percy turned with a furious expression.

"Why don't you ask Apollo?" Clarisse's eyes went wide before her face turned red with anger. She didn't hesitate to drive her own fist in the sun god's face as he tried to regain his bearings. The minute he hit the ground, Clarisse took two steps forward and kicked Apollo straight in the coin purse causing him to cry out in a high pitched agonized scream.

"Frank, that's your Dad's girlfriend. Let's go."

Frank's eyes went wide as he looked at the love goddess who simply smiled sheepishly at him. Clarisse grabbed Frank by the collar as the trio made a beeline for a side exit that dropped them out into the street.

The minute Percy's foot hit the pavement, he felt the water from the puddle he stepped in seep into his shoes, giving him a spark of energy he had lost drilling Apollo.

"I'm going to rip Apollo's head off." Clarisse snarled in outrage. They trio made to walk towards the street when a voice from behind them stopped them in their tracks.

"Percy, we need to talk."

The three demigods turned to find Jason standing in the back of the alley with Piper looking worried a few feet behind him.

"We've got nothing to talk about Jason. We're going home."

Thunder rumbled overhead.

"No Percy," Jason tried to stop from sounding angry. "I need to bring you to Olympus, my Dad's orders."

Percy laughed. But it was a humorless laugh. The kind of laugh a person makes when they've reached their limits and the thought of more makes them laugh no matter how unfunny it might be.

Percy looked down the alley, his eyes a dark green as his mind was clouded with anger. "I would very much like to see you try."

Lightning hit the ground between the two sons of the Big Three.

"The answer was no, Jason." Frank growled before his body began to glow, moments later he was in the form of a fully grown male lion who crouched down and began to stalk down the alley, growling intimidatingly as he moved.

Lightning struck again, this time hitting the son of Mars and sending him smashing into the side wall of the alley, a pained yelp escaping his lips before he went motionless. His body slowly morphed back into his human form but remained motionless.

Percy immediately uncapped Riptide as Clarisse went to check on her brother.

"Is he okay?" Percy asked not taking his eyes off his one-time friend.

"He's hurt but he'll live." Clarisse glared harshly down at the son of Jupiter before turning back to tend to Frank.

"I'm going to kill you for that." Percy snarled, Riptide gripped so tightly his knuckles were white.

"Don't do this Percy." Jason warned. "I'm immortal now, you can't defeat me."

"Immortal you say?" Percy's eyes narrowed. "I'll be happy to put that title to the test."

Jason flipped his golden coin, catching his gladius by the hilt. "It's your funeral Percy." The two demigods charged at each other, their blades meeting in a flurry of sparks as they both tried to go into offense.

Percy blocked the imperial gold blade, kicking Jason's leg from the front and dropping him onto a knee. Before he could recover, Percy slammed his fist into his jaw, sending Jason's stumbling back as he struggled to stay on his feet. Percy made to lunge forward when he spun, barely blocking a silver dagger as Piper tried to defend her husband.

Percy parried the strike, pushing her blade down before he kicked her legs out from under her. He turned back towards Jason when he was suddenly blasted back as millions of volts of electricity coursed through his body.

He landed roughly on the pavement, the pain of being electrocuted leaving him reeling.

"Stop this Percy, you can't win. Just come with me to Olympus, I don't want to fight you."

The words of his former friend sent of spark of energy through Percy's body. Or perhaps it was just the pure unadulterated rage he felt growing inside him. Regardless, he picked himself up off the ground and turned to face Jason again.

"You want to play with powers? I've got some of my own as well."

Percy held out his free hand, the water from the puddles in the alley following the will of the son of Poseidon instantly. Jason saw the water and knew he would be in trouble. He raised his blade to the sky which darkened at his command before a huge bolt came down and connected with his sword before he thrust it in Percy's direction.

A wall of water rose up in front of Percy and his friends as dozens of tendrils of electricity shot towards them. A shower of fog and steam rose up from the once the electricity hit the water. When it cleared, Percy stood upright, Riptide gripped in his left hand and a narrow stream of water in his right.

Without hesitation his right hand shot forward, the stream of water following the command and flying with uncanny speeds at Jason who couldn't react in time. Percy's hand pulled back snapping the stream of water like a whip. The end of the water just reached Jason's face before a deep gash appeared where the lashing had hit his face.

Jason stumbled back in shock, a searing pain in his cheek. Before he could even check the injury, immortal ichor began dripping from his face to his shirt and onto the wet pavement beneath him. He looked up at his adversary to find Percy holding his sword in one hand and a whip made purely out of water in the other. Jason hesitated, realizing why it was that so many immortals feared the son of Poseidon. In his cold green eyes, Jason saw many emotions; anger and betrayal most prominent, but it was what he didn't see that made the immortal son of Jupiter stall.

There was no fear in the eyes of Percy Jackson. He stood against an immortal and only felt the anger and rage from his onetime friend's betrayal. Seeing such confidence that an opponent is completely free of fear was not a common sight for someone as powerful as Jason and it made him think carefully about what it is he was doing.

Jason honestly wanted to stop. He really had no desire to be fighting the most powerful demigod he had met; one who he once considered a good friend though it seemed that the friend ship had long since sailed. But he couldn't stop yet. He had been given the task of bringing Percy to Olympus and his pride was at stake here. If he returned empty handed to his father, he would never outlive the shame of being bested by a mere mortal.

He felt a hand on his arm. He turned to find Piper looking at him disapprovingly. He shook his arm free, he didn't have a choice. He gripped his gladius tightly. He was not going to lose this fight. He was an immortal for Zeus' sake. No mortal, no matter how powerful should have the ability to best him in combat.

He ran forward, using the winds to propel him into the air as lightning dropped in the spot Percy stood. Too late did Jason notice how much of a mistake this had been.

Instead of backing away, Percy lunged forward, snapping his water whip as Jason felt it wrap around his legs. Percy wrenched back, pulling Jason forward and breaking his concentration and thus his control of the winds and sending him crashing hard onto his back against the unforgiving pavement.

Quicker than he could react, Percy drove Anaklusmos threw his shoulder eliciting a scream of pain from the immortal demigod. Percy kept the weapon in place, his face masked in a look of rage that made the son of Jupiter go pale white.

"Please Percy," Jason grunted out. "I'm sorry."

Percy twisted the blade, "You tried to kill Frank!" He snarled. "He is like my flesh and blood! That is unforgivable!" He wrenched the blade free and held it over Jason's chest. Piper tried to rush to her husband's aide but a stream of water shot from the puddles of the alley and threw her into the back wall of the alley.

"Enjoy Tartarus Grace, it's a real treat."

His hand twitched to bring down the killing blow when Percy was suddenly blasted backwards by a surge of what could only be raw energy. He skidded across the ground, coming to a stop by Clarisse and looked up to find the Lord of the Skies himself, Zeus, standing in front of Jason with his master bolt in hand.

"You dare try to kill an immortal? One of my sons no less!" The king roared. "You'll die today Sea Spawn." He raised his bolt to launch it at Percy, when a bright blue light hit the ground in front of Percy, shaking the ground and forming a crater in the pavement before it solidified into a kneeling Lord of Seas. He rose to his feet, his eyes locked on his younger sibling before him, a look to pure fury on his face.

Poseidon was draped in full battle armor, his trident gripped tightly in his hands, a celestial bronze chest plate covering his midsection and feathering out at the bottom. A vambrace was on each wrist and a jewel encrusted helm on his head made the sea god an intimidating figure as he stood protectively in front of his demigod son.

"That would be a poor decision to make, Lord Zeus."


	5. Ch. 5

Two of the most powerful beings on the planet stood fifteen feet apart, both glaring furiously at the other, waiting for the other to make a move. The tension was palpable, nearly visible between the two siblings. No one in the alley moved a muscle. Not Percy, who was still stunned from his father's sudden appearance, nor did Jason who silently held a hand to his wounded shoulder as ichor continued to seep out, staining his shirt a brilliant golden color.

Piper, who was half-conscious after being slammed into the wall, picked up her head groaning softly as she did.

That was when it happened.

Zeus launched his master bolt, hoping to take his brother out early knowing how formidable an opponent he would be.

Poseidon slammed his mighty trident into the pavement. The ground erupted all around him as the water pipes underneath the street burst and the water shot to the surface at the command of the sea god. A massive wall of water came up between Poseidon and his brother, the bolt hitting the water and causing an explosion of steam and boiling water that Poseidon took the brunt of, protecting Percy and his friends from being further injured. When the steam and fog dissipated, Poseidon stood, skin red but otherwise uninjured.

Zeus's bolt reappeared in his hand, his suit vanishing and being replaced with his own battle armor.

"Step aside brother." The king sneered. "Your son is guilty of treason, attempted murder of the hero of Olympus."

Poseidon's eyes went a little wide before a humorless laugh escaped his lips.

"That boy? You call him the hero of Olympus? Perseus is the only reason we still have thrones of power. You also seem to forget that above everything else, like my son, I am loyal to the people I love. The only way you're laying a finger on my son is over my dead body."

Zeus' eyes narrowed dangerously, "So be it then."

Before Zeus could make the first move, Poseidon sprang into action. He truly moved with the speed of a god, closing the distance on his younger sibling. A monstrous bolt of lightning dropped from the sky and hit the spot Poseidon had been in but not quickly enough. Looking like nothing more than a blur of light green, he reached Zeus, thrusting his trident in an attempt to impale the King of the Gods.

His master bolt becoming a spear in the blink of an eye, the Lord of the Skies blocked the strike, pushing the trident to the side and driving a fist into the jaw of his older brother. The sea god was unfazed, using the punch as momentum as he spun around, bringing his trident around to sweep Zeus' legs out from under him. Before Zeus could hit to the ground, Poseidon's trident was at his chest, sending Zeus flying back as a blast of energy hit him square in the chest.

Zeus flew back, going straight through the back wall of the alley as the bricks crumbled under the impact of the immortal being's body.

Poseidon watched the crater in the wall through narrowed eyes before he barely jumped aside to avoid a tendril of electricity aimed directly at him. When he looked back, he found Zeus standing in front of the broken wall, his armor a little damaged and dirty and his face red with rage.

Without a word, Zeus charged, his movements a barely visible blur before he was in front of his older brother. He continued to use his bolt as a spear, attacking wildly in an attempt to end the fight once and for all. But Poseidon met every strike with one of his own as sparks flew wildly around the dueling deities.

The winds whipped wildly in the small alley, the sky was unnaturally dark. The winds seemed to be battling each other for dominance. Rain and hail came down in sheets, thunder cracked loudly and lightning danced across the sky illuminating the starless night.

Jason and Piper had taken cover at the side of the alley, trying to avoid being caught in the crossfire of the two battling Olympians.

Zeus sent a powerful kick to Poseidon's chest, sending his stumbling back. Several bolts of lightning dropped all over the alley, narrowly missing Poseidon as well as Percy, Frank and Clarisse.

Poseidon took a step forward and slammed his trident into the earth, shaking the area with a violent earthquake. Zeus struggled to find footing, stumbling around as the earth moved beneath him. Cement dust and shards of glass fell from the surrounding buildings; cries of panic could be heard from the main street as mortals scrambled to get to cover.

Poseidon hurled his trident, aiming for Zeus' chest. The King of the Gods hit the ground, the weapon missing him by mere centimeters. He jumped back to his feet but the trident was already back in Poseidon's grip as the two glared at each other, their anger outweighing all other thoughts such as the effects their battle was having on the city of New York.

"You would betray Olympus?" Zeus spat.

Poseidon's eyes narrowed and he snorted, "This is the will of Olympus? To kill the boy who saved it twice? This is you being your usual vindictive and childish self, seeking vengeance because my son does not tremble in fear at the uttering of your name."

"He attacked my son!"

"He protected his family and friends! He is not your callboy to halt his life when you think you need his assistance!" Poseidon sent a blast of water across the alley. Zeus jumped into the air, using the winds to propel him over the water before dropping back down to the pavement, only a few feet from his brother with his master bolt in hand.

Zeus feinted a blow at his brother's head but as Poseidon made to block, Zeus thrust the godly weapon into his ribs. Poseidon growled in pain and dropped to a knee, his body convulsing as he felt the millions of volts of electricity coursing through his body. He painstakingly brought up his trident, pushing Zeus' weapon away from his midsection and stopping the attack.

Zeus raised his bolt to attack again when a torrent of water hit the Olympian square in the chest and knocked him onto his back a few feet away. When Zeus looked up, he saw Percy with his hand thrust towards him.

Zeus' rage only grew at the sight.

His brother's spawn dared to attack an Olympian! The King the Gods no less!

He raised his bolt, unaware of his brother's actions as his mind focused on the singular goal of sending that upstart Percy Jackson to Hades the quick way. As he reared back to unleash a monstrous bolt, that was when things went wrong for the King of the Gods.

A searing pain was felt in his side. Too late did he realize that his brother was there, trident in hand which now had all three prongs deeply imbedded in the Lord of the Skies' ribcage.

Zeus froze; a look of realization and horror on his face. He had let his anger and pride get the better of him and now it would lead to his death. Sure, he would reform but by that time he had no doubt his brother would be seated in his throne, all the power of Olympus at his disposal.

Poseidon thrust the trident a little further into his brother's ribcage. The moment was a bittersweet one for him. For centuries his brother had needed to be taken down a peg, or six. Now it happened that he would be the one to do it. He never wanted this though. Despite his arrogance and paranoia, Poseidon loved his younger brother. But given a choice between his brother and his son, the question never even appeared in his head. It was his instinct to protect his own and he would do it again if he had to. It didn't make the moment any less unpleasant for the sea god though.

Zeus dropped to his knees, ichor beginning to seep into his armor as he silently looked at his brother in shock.

"You made me do this brother." Poseidon whispered. "I never wanted this."

Zeus opened his mouth to respond when a half-dozen blinding lights appeared around the two brothers.

"Stop it Poseidon!" Athena yelled.

Poseidon looked at the wisdom goddess with a pained expression, "I had no choice. He made me choose and I would die before I let him harm my son."

All the present Olympians had looks of shock. The three from inside the bar, Artemis, Apollo and Aphrodite; as well as the additions of Athena, Ares, and Hermes looked at the scene in disbelief. A myriad of emotions could be seen on their faces, each one different than the others as they looked upon their father (or adopted father in Aphrodite's case), barely alive and his life in the hands of his own brother. None looked sure of how to handle the situation. Ares looked fine with the current scene, willing to let it play out as it stood. Apollo and Artemis both looked upon their father sadly but neither were willing to speak up on his behalf knowing Poseidon's reasoning behind the current situation. The others looked to Athena, knowing if any of them would be able to fix things, it would be her. Despite the rivalry she shared with the sea god, she was the wisest and most logical, able to appeal to the sea god's more rational side.

"Just relax," Athena said surprisingly softly. "We can still fix this. Apollo is here, we can heal Zeus and this can be worked out."

Poseidon stared at Athena for a moment and then back at his brother who was still silent with a trident impaled through his side, before he shook his head.

"No. This is the only way. He refuses to let my son live his life in peace. He is a spiteful and arrogant god, he will seek vengeance against me through hurting my son."

Athena slowly stepped closer to the two Olympian gods. "That's not true. You have my word. No harm will come to Perseus or anyone else you care about if you allow Zeus to live. I promise we will work this out."

Poseidon looked down at his brother again. Zeus' face was a pale color as the loss of ichor was becoming a problem. It would only take one more thrust to finish him for the next decade or two, something that may be good for the world.

He felt a hand on his arm. He turned to find Athena beside him, her grey eyes silently imploring him to listen to her. Poseidon stared at her for a moment before speaking.

"Swear it. Swear you will do everything in your power to protect Percy or my family from Zeus or anyone else on Olympus. That you will put his life before your own if need be."

Athena's eyes went a little wide at the request but she recovered quickly and slowly nodded.

"I swear it on the Styx. I will do whatever is necessary to protect Percy and your family from any kind of harm from Zeus or anyone else on Olympus."

Thunder rumbled loudly overhead. Poseidon stared at his longtime rival, searching for some kind of deceit or deception in her eyes. When he found none, he slowly nodded.

"Apollo, get over here." Athena snapped. The sun god was at her side instantly, examining the spot Zeus was impaled through and figuring out the best way to handle it. He held a hand over his father's chest and closed his eyes for a minute before they snapped back open.

"You're centimeters from his heart. I need you to pull the trident out but be careful not to move it further in even in the slightest."

Poseidon nodded. Apollo grabbed Zeus' shoulders and held him in place before he nodded for Poseidon to do it. The sea god pulled the weapon out in one swift motion as Zeus grunted in pain before collapsing forward where Apollo caught him. The two vanished in a golden light a second later.

Athena looked up at Poseidon gratefully, "You made the right decision. I cannot blame you for your actions but this was the wisest way to end the situation."

Poseidon stiffly nodded his head, "Just remember the oath you just swore to me." He turned to his son standing beside his two friends, one of whom was barely conscious and the other being the only reason Frank was upright at the moment.

"Close your eyes." He said looking at Percy and Clarisse. Both quickly shut their eyes before he stepped forward putting a hand on each of their shoulders before all four vanished in a golden light.

As Percy felt the ground underneath his feet again, he opened his eyes, confused at where he was. He looked at his father, who smiled reassuringly at him.

"This is my palace." Percy opened his mouth to argue when Poseidon continued. "My palace on Olympus."

Percy's eyes went wide. He hadn't even known his father had a palace on Olympus. But it did make sense; his father was an Olympians after all and all the other gods undoubtedly had homes on Olympus.

Poseidon snapped his fingers as two Cyclopes appeared before him. He pointed to Frank, "Find a place for this young man to rest. He was injured in battle. I will need a healer summoned for him as well."

The two Cyclopes bowed slightly before they stepped forward to grab Frank but Clarisse shook her head, "I've got him. Just lead the way."

The two Cyclopes looked at Poseidon who nodded his agreement.

"I'll come find you and Frank in bit. Just need to talk to my Dad first." Percy said to Clarisse who nodded before hoisting Frank over her shoulder and nodding for the Cyclopes to lead the way.

Poseidon watched Clarisse carry Frank away following the Cyclopes before he shook his head.

"I have to say, she was not someone I could have ever predicted you being so close with."

Percy shrugged and smiled at his father, "To be honest with you, neither did I five years ago. Clarisse is a good friend though. She'd go to Tartarus and back for the people she cares for."

Poseidon just slowly nodded his head, "Come with me son. It has been a long time since we last talked. I would like to get this armor off and into some normal clothes first though."

Percy nodded and Poseidon made to walk but Percy stopped him before he could get far.

"Hey Dad?"

Poseidon turned and looked at his son.

"Thank you. What you did down there, with Zeus, I know it wasn't easy for you."

His father's expression became more solemn, "No, that was not easy but it was necessary. To be honest, the thought of what I was doing never crossed my mind until I had my trident in his ribs. But seeing him going after you, I just… I would never let him harm you Perseus. You are my son and I will always be there for you." He said in a deadly serious tone.

Percy smiled at his father, "I know that. Thanks Dad."

Poseidon gave him a small smile before walking down the hallways and into a living room. There the sea god snapped his fingers, his armor being replaced by a pair of khaki shorts, a loose fitting t-shirt and a pair of sandals. He took a seat on the couch and gestured for Percy to sit as well. Percy found a recliner and sat down looking around the room, surprised at how messy it was.

"Dad, do you live here?"

Poseidon looked around the room, also noticing the mess before he sighed and leaned back on the couch, throwing his feet up on the coffee table.

"There have been some issues, with Amphitrite and I." He said with what Percy almost thought was nervousness. "She, or we, decided it would be best if we spent some time apart. I've been staying here for the past year or so, returning to Atlantis during the days to run my kingdom but allowing her to live in the palace at night with Triton."

Percy looked at his father worriedly, "Are you okay, I mean, with all that?"

The sea god shrugged, "To be honest," he sighed, "it's been the best year I can remember in centuries. Our marriage was arranged by Zeus and truthfully, there was never any love there. Just responsibility and it weighs on you over the years."

Percy listened intently. He was shocked to hear his father's words. He never thought about things like that, like how his father's life was being married to someone like Amphitrite. He actually felt a little guilty about it. This was his father and he never thought about his life from his perspective.

"But let's not talk about that," Poseidon said breaking Percy from his thoughts. "This is the first time we've seen each other in over a year. Tell me son, tell me about your life; what it is like to be a mortal soldier and fight in another country."

Percy smiled at his father's interest. He'd never had a conversation like this with his father, the kind father and sons have when one isn't a super powerful immortal being.

"You apparently watched it in the throne room that day we were kidnapped. There's nothing glamorous about it. We have our missions but the rest of the time, it's really not that exciting, just stuck in the endless heat of the desert."

Poseidon nodded, "And that life, it's the one you want?"

Percy didn't answer right away. He didn't want to blow off his father and brush off the question. He thought not only about the life he was living but also about the life he envisioned, one that seemed so far away now.

"At the moment, I think it is. I had other ideas of how I wanted to live after the wars but as you know, things did not work out that way."

Poseidon sat up and looked at his son with concern.

"One day, you'll have to let the things you lost go. You cannot push that pain away forever. You'll need to deal with it before you can move on."

Percy was silent. He knew what his father was referring to but he tried to keep that memory out of his mind. But as it often did, it forced its way in, giving him a fresh reminder of the pain he worked so hard to avoid.

"It's not that easy." His voice was a little hollow as he spoke. "I didn't just lose a girlfriend, I lost my best friend. The person I could talk to about everything, who no matter what, was there for me when I needed her. I can't just act like she was just a person. I can't even act like she was one of my friends who died, she was so much more and I can't just find someone else and act like they mean even a fraction of what she did to me." Percy stopped himself; the conversation was going a place he did not want to go. He hadn't opened up to anyone about what happened and he had no intention of doing it now, even with his father.

A silence descended on the father and son, neither really sure of what to say. Poseidon knew how much Athena's daughter had meant to him. It hadn't taken him long to see that, even when they were still kids, the way they were around each other showed him how perfect they were together. It still infuriated him how long it had taken Athena to see it. Stuck behind her prejudices and pride, she refused to see what everyone else saw clear as day.

"I should check on Frank." Percy finally broke the silence. Poseidon looked slightly crestfallen at the end of their conversation.

"Stay the night." He offered hopefully. "It would be best to let your friend rest and recover from his injuries. There is plenty of room for all three of you."

Percy looked at his father with a slightly confused expression. "Isn't that, you know, against the laws or whatever it is that limits your interaction with mortals?"

Poseidon chuckled softly, "It is but so is a god coming down from Olympus to kill a demigod. If Zeus thinks he doesn't need to follow the laws, then neither do I."

Percy smiled at the explanation, "I'll have to let Mom know, she'll think we got ourselves arrested or worse if we don't come back tonight."

Poseidon smiled happily and tossed Percy something small that had appeared in his hand. He caught it, surprised to see a familiar looking pearl resting in his palm.

"I believe you remember how that works. Just step on it and you'll come back here."

Before Percy could respond, he vanished from his spot, reappearing in his mother's apartment where he found her pacing back and forth, a phone in her hand.

"Mom?"

Sally whirled around, her expression turning to one of utter relief when she saw her son.

"Where were you?" She exclaimed, her mood quickly changing from one of relief to one of irritation and slight anger. "The city had an earthquake and then a freak thunderstorm pops up out of nowhere, lightning started dropping from the sky all over the city, and I knew you had to have been involved!" She looked out of breath as she looked at her son for an explanation to the unnatural natural disasters.

Percy looked a little sheepish but he forced himself not to smile knowing his mother would not see any humor in it.

"We ran into some, uh, difficulties out at the bar."

Sally stared at him, waiting for more explanation.

He sighed, "Well, to make a very long story short, the Olympians want us to do something and we told them no. They didn't take that well and it led to a confrontation outside the bar." He saw his mother still not satisfied and he sighed again, "One thing led to another and Zeus tried to kill me." Sally gasped at this but Percy kept going. "Then Dad showed up and kind of almost killed him. Everything is fine now, Dad was the one who sent me down here, and we're going to stay with him for the night, up on Olympus. Apparently he has a palace there."

Sally looked like she was processing everything she had been told as quickly as possible. Percy watched her with a little sympathy; his life brought her a great amount of stress and he knew it had to weigh on her at times. He had hoped living a more mortal life would help but going to war overseas had not been an ideal career choice for his mother's stress levels.

After a moment, Sally took a seat at her kitchen table, her facial features slowly starting to relax at last.

"Did you come to ask me permission to have a sleepover at your father's?" She asked, her face showing how amusing she thought the question was.

Percy chuckled, "I just wanted to make sure you didn't worry. I'm sorry that I always seem to be the one involved in the trouble around here."

Sally just shook her head, "Go, I'm sure your friends are uncomfortable up there on Olympus without you."

Percy stepped forward and planted a kiss on his mother's cheek before stepping back and dropping the pearl to the ground before crushing it with his foot. Unlike his previous experience with the pearl, this time his body simple shimmered a couple times before vanishing from the apartment.

He felt the ground underneath his feet again and opened his eyes.

"Pwerce!" Frank slurred tiredly but still with excitement.

A smile appeared on his face as he saw Frank looking no worse for wear in a large and comfortable bed. Clarisse rolled her eyes from a seat a few feet away.

"These healers," Frank gave a sleepy looking smile, "they're amazing."

Percy raised an eyebrow and then looked at Clarisse who rolled her eyes again.

"They gave him morphine."

Percy chuckled quietly at Frank's completely relaxed mood. "It's good to see you feeling better buddy. I think you should just relax. Take a siesta, Clarisse and I won't go far."

Frank's eyelids seemed to droop a bit more at the mere mention of sleep. "Are you sure Perce? I'm really not even that… I'm not even…." Frank's words became nothing more than mumbles and were quickly replaced by quiet snores as he fell into a peaceful, albeit drug-induced, sleep.

"Shouldn't we be leaving?" Clarisse asked raising an eyebrow at the son of Poseidon.

Percy shrugged, "My Dad invited us to stay the night. Apparently he believes since Zeus doesn't follow the laws, neither should he. Who am I to tell him otherwise? Besides, I wouldn't mind spending a night in a place I don't have to worry about another Olympian trying to pull some crap that they did in the bar tonight."

Clarisse's expression immediately went one of anger, "I'm going to kill that bastard Apollo."

Percy smirked at her face, "You didn't look very mad when I pulled you two apart…."

Clarisse stood from her seat, "Shut up Prissy. I swear, you tell one person…"

"Who am I going to tell?" Percy cut her off. "Some of the fellas back in Afghanistan? Oh sure, hey guys, you should have seen La Rue on leave, making out with an Olympian until I busted his face open."

Clarisse glared at Percy for a moment before she softened a bit.

"You know, you didn't have to deck him."

Percy shrugged, "It was better than what he would have gotten from you. Besides, that was a sleazy move, he's lucky I didn't run him through with Riptide."

A small smile appeared on Clarisse's face before she stood up, "I'm going to find a room to sleep in, I need to sleep the booze and this entire night off. Wake me up when Frank gets off cloud nine."

Clarisse stepped towards the door but suddenly stopped. She turned to Percy and planted a kiss on his lips. It wasn't an overly long or passionate kiss, but it did show her gratitude for what he did to Apollo. She smirked a little at his face before walking out of the room without another word.

Percy stared at her retreating form a little taken aback. That was not what he had been expecting. He wasn't really complaining but it was an odd way for her to show her gratitude. He shook his head, pushing the moment from his mind and walked out of the room. He made his way downstairs where he found his father speaking to a tall figure in a hushed voice. As he got closer, his father noticed him and took a step back.

"Everything alri…" Was as far as he got before he was cut off by a thunderous voice that he hadn't heard in a long time.

"BROTHER!"

Percy barely had time to for his eyes to widen before the giant form of his half-brother was upon him, wrapping him in a bone crunching embrace and picking him clear up off his feet.

"T…Ty…Tyson." He choked out. "Can't breathe."

The pressure around his ribs suddenly lessened and he felt his feet touch the ground again. He looked up and found the toothy grin of his Cyclops half-brother looking absolutely elated at his presence.

"Big Brother!" Tyson beamed. "I've missed you."

Percy couldn't help but smile at the big guy, "I've missed you too Tyson, it's been way too long."

Percy glanced at his father who was smiling at the interaction between the two.

"So, what are you doing up here?" Percy asked looking back at his brother. "Shouldn't you be in Atlantis seeing how you're a big time general now?"

Tyson grinned widely, "Important mission for Daddy! I'm…."

Poseidon coughed loudly, stopping Tyson and causing Percy to narrow his eyes at how his father, wondering what exactly would be so bad that he couldn't hear about it.

"You have work to do son," Poseidon said quickly looking at his one-eyed son, "I will come and see you shortly."

Tyson looked a little upset that his reunion with Percy was being cut short but Poseidon gave him a look and the Cyclops took off, smiling one last time at Percy before he went.

Once Tyson was gone, Percy turned to his father who looked very uninterested in talking at the moment.

"What do you have Tyson doing that you don't want me to know about?"

Poseidon looked at Percy confused, "What do you mean? He's here doing his duties at the leader of the Cyclops army."

Percy's eyes narrowed, "You're lying. Why are you lying to me? I don't see what could be so bad that you would hide it from me."

Poseidon tried to keep his face from giving away any emotion but his son's gaze was shockingly piercing. After a minute, he sighed in defeat.

"You're going to be angry."

Percy looked at his father, unsure what he could say that would upset him.

"I have another demigod child."

Percy's eyes went wide before a surprising amount of anger surged through his body. He wasn't sure why, but the thought of Poseidon fathering another child sent a surge of rage coursing through him. Without thinking, Percy stepped forward and unloaded a right hook that sent his father stumbling back both in shock and because of the power behind the strike. Golden ichor began to pour out of the sea god's nose as he looked at his favorite son in disbelief.


	6. Ch. 6

The sea god held a hand to his nose which was leaking golden ichor at a steady pace while looking back at Percy in utter shock and disbelief.

"Percy," he started before he was cut off.

"What the Hades is your problem?"

Poseidon was taken aback by the anger in his son. He thought he might be angry, having another demigod child had felt like a bit of a betrayal to Sally despite the fact she was happily married but he could never have predicted Percy being this angry.

"It was an accident." The immortal argued gaining confidence as he felt his own anger flare up. "I am a god and your father, you should show me some respect."

Percy's face was red, his glare was harsh and he did not acknowledge the words of his father.

"It's not like I was married to your mother." Poseidon continued but stopped when he saw Percy's expression change. "What?"

Percy shook his head, "You think I'm upset you had a kid because of Mom?" He asked in disbelief.

Poseidon did not answer, now confused as to why Percy was so angry.

The demigod shook his head again, trying to control his anger but much like his father, he found as an adult his temper was like the sea, not that easy to get going but once it was in motion, it was even harder for him to control. He turned around and kicked a stool across the kitchen which broke apart when reaching the wall on the other side. He turned back to his father, his anger still very evident in his face.

"I'm upset at how selfish you can be sometimes. Yes, out of all the gods, you are one of the best but you can be selfish just like the others and it makes me want to put my fist through something."

Poseidon still looked a little confused at the reason for Percy's reaction. "What do you mean?"

Percy ran a hand through his short hair, "Why is Tyson here?"

Poseidon raised an eyebrow but Percy continued before he could speak. "Something is wrong, isn't it?"

Poseidon's eyes went wide in realization at last. He opened his mouth to reply but Percy held up his hand stopping him. "This is what I mean, selfish. You couldn't control yourself and now another child is forced into a tough childhood and the absolute shitty life as a demigod. You gods care so little about others, even your own children, that you go around and fuck anything with two legs. Then, once the child is born, you hide behind your ancient laws and basically leave the children to fend for themselves. It's arrogant and irresponsible and the fate these children have is on no one's shoulders but your own."

Poseidon's expression turned more solemn at Percy's argument. Despite how much he tried not to think about it, the life of demigod was truly nothing to ever wish upon a child. While Percy was everything a father could ask for in a son, his life had been anything but easy; full of struggles, danger and loss of loved ones, it was a miracle he turned out the way he did, let alone survive to the age of twenty-one. Now because of his own carelessness, another child would face the same hardships because of him and his irresponsible actions.

Neither spoke for a minute; Poseidon, unsure of what to say while Percy used the silence to calm himself down. He was angry at his father's actions but hitting him was too far. He already began to regret it as his temper simmered. After a few minutes, Percy took one last calming breath before looking at his father.

"Where?"

Poseidon refused to meet his son's eyes.

"In the city. They live with their aunt…."

"They?" He exclaimed in disbelief.

Poseidon sighed, "Twins, my first ever, a boy and a girl. They are just barely five."

Percy was silent again for a moment, still reeling from the knowledge that he had not one but two mortal siblings now.

"Write down the address."

Poseidon looked up confused, "Why?"

"You have Tyson up here for some reason and he's not going to do anything but scare the life out of these kids. I think my appearance will be slightly less horrifying to a pair of five year-olds. You can tell me the mission you had for Tyson and I'll take care of it."

The sea god felt a deep internal conflict as he looked upon his son.

"This is not your problem son. I know you have no desire to get involved in demigod matters, Tyson will take care of it."

Percy smiled even though it was a little forced. "This isn't a demigod problem. This is a family problem. And I won't stand by if my siblings could be in danger. Now, I'm guessing it's a monster or some other kind of dangerous issue since two children of Poseidon together, even that young, would have a powerful scent. Since you can't get involved, the responsibility falls to me. Now Dad, the address, please."

Poseidon stared at his son for a moment, a small smile creeping its way onto his face before a piece of paper materialized in his hand. He handed it to Percy who glanced at it briefly before tucking it into his pocket.

"Are you sure about this son?"

Percy smiled again, this time more genuinely. "I am. Now I'm going to need a couple Redbulls so how about you do that godly thing you do when you want something and conjure me some up."

The sea god chuckled and walked over to his refrigerator, pulling out two cans of the energy drink surprising his son immensely.

"I've grown rather fond of these over the past year. They're quite good."

Percy laughed at the thought of his immortal father drinking Redbull before he cracked one open and pulled up one of the unbroken stools.

"Now, let's hear it. I want to know everything."

-x- Line Break -x-

Percy handed a twenty dollar bill through the window of the cab and opened the door. The cool morning air felt refreshing to him. The previous night had been anything but peaceful. A fight with Jason, followed by the godly combat of his father and Zeus had quickly put a damper on any buzz he still had once he left the bar after telling Artemis off. He now realized that may not have been his most intelligent move of the night but the sheer nerve of the Olympians had set him off. Violent moon goddess or not, he had about already had his fill of Olympian drama and was done with them as far as he was concerned.

What exactly had been their plan? Get him to sleep with Aphrodite then expect him to run back to Camp Half-Blood with a smile on his face.

Idiots.

He sometimes wondered how it was that they managed to remain in power for so long. But he then remembered it was because they had demigods who fought the majority of their battles for them, then told them it should be their honor to defend Olympus.

He mentally scoffed at their arrogance. They weren't all like that but it was Zeus who set the example for the others. He really couldn't describe how good it felt to see his father put Zeus in his place. It had made the drama filled night well worth the headache.

He was surprised to find the moon goddess of all people apart of whatever terrible ploy they had to bring him back into the fold. She had no love for men but he was always respectful of her and her hunters and thought he had earned her respect in return. Now he wasn't so sure. Then again, he really didn't care either. She tried to deceive him with their weak attempt at disguises. Sure, they hadn't looked like themselves but he had been around immortals enough that he could feel when they were close. Their divine bodies gave off a different kind of energy. Most mortals saw it as beauty but he knew better than to be deceived by the mist.

"Where are we going?"

Percy stopped in his tracks. He had been so wrapped up in his thoughts that he totally forgot where he was going. He looked at the street sign ahead of them and mentally cursed; he had already walked too far.

"Uh, back a few blocks actually." He muttered quietly but Clarisse heard him clear as day before she slapped him hard across the face.

"What is wrong with you Prissy? You look like your head is still back in Afghanistan. Wake up, this is serious."

Percy felt his cheek stinging, bringing him back to reality as he shook his head.

"Yeah, my bad. Just tired from the lack of sleep; let's get moving."

Clarisse eyed him for a moment but didn't comment as they began to walk back the way they came. Percy looked around at the buildings, eyeing the people he saw as well. His father had failed to mention how rough the area his demigod children lived in was. They were currently walking through the Bronx at seven in the morning. After getting the information from his father, Percy decided it was best to go now rather than wait another minute. He had woken up Clarisse wishing to have someone he trusted with his life to watch his back from any mortal or monster dangers they came across.

As they came to the street Poseidon had given them, they turned down it and made their way to the large apartment complex the address indicated. As they reached the doors, Percy noticed a couple homeless women sitting close to the entrance. Something about them made his skin crawl but he ignored it and made his way to the doorway. Just as he was about to open it, one of the homeless women spoke.

"Did you get lost kid? I don't think you belong in this part of town."

Percy stopped. Something about these two was definitely off. He'd lived in New York his whole life and these two just didn't seem like the typical homeless person you came across.

"Nope, just here to visit a friend." He reached into his pocket and dropped a few dollars in front of them. "Why don't you just mind your business and we'll do the same."

One of the women scooped up the money and looked at her companion in glee, "Did you see that Heather? The great Percy Jackson gave us some money to mind our business. How honored are we?"

Percy froze. His hand instinctively went to his pocket but the women moved with remarkable speed. Percy was hit in the chest so hard he was sent flying back where he skidded across the pavement painfully.

Clarisse was tackled to the ground. She struggled, managing to roll over so she was on top of the woman but her companion sent the daughter of Ares sprawling with a kick to the face.

As Percy stood up, the women's bodies began to change before his eyes until a bronze leg and some of the ugliest faces he had seen became visible to the son of Poseidon. He cursed himself for letting the mist fool him. The two Empousai stood over Clarisse before the one apparently named Heather kicked her hard in the ribs leaving her gasping for breath.

Percy pulled out Riptide, flipping off the cap as he rose to his feet.

"I'm going slice you two into a million pieces of bitcheroni."

They both turned to him, fangs barred as they charged together. One pulled out a dagger while the other used only her claws. They overwhelmed Percy and he struggled to backtrack, blocking a dagger strike and ducking under the claws of the other who raked them along his back as she stumbled past him.

He growled in pain as he felt the Empousa open up gashes in his back. He spun around, fueled by his anger and kicked the one wielding the dagger in the chest. She gasped as the breath was ripped from her body, stumbling back a few feet. The other monster lunged at him before he could turn, tackling him and pinning him facedown into the sidewalk. She opened her mouth to bite into his neck when a fist collided with her face sending her off Percy and onto her back.

Clarisse pulled Percy to his feet as she tugged on the bracelet on her wrist that materialized into a spear that crackled with electricity. The two Empousai got to their feet and stood a few feet away from the two demigods looking at them hungrily.

"Come to save your siblings have you Percy Jackson?" The one named Heather hissed. "I'm afraid they belong to our lord now. Powerful weapons they will become in the future."

Percy's eyes widened at her words. Riptide hung at his side, gripped so tightly his knuckles were white. Clarisse was beside him, her spear crackling with electricity.

"Only kill one of them, I'd like to ask the other a few questions." He muttered under his breath so only she could hear him.

The Empousai both lunged at the two demigods, one thrust a dagger into Percy's midsection. He jumped to the side, using the flat of his blade to smack of the ugly looking monster in the face. She growled in pain and spun around, swinging wildly at him. He backtracked, careful to avoid her blade while using the flat of his to smack her around, bruising her face and driving her insane with anger but leaving her otherwise unharmed.

Finally fed up, the Empousai ran at Percy full speed. She made to tackle him when he suddenly ducked, the butt end of a spear skimming over his head and cracking the Empousa in the forehead sending her to the ground in a heap.

"Damn it Prissy," Clarisse smirked. "You must be losing your touch."

Percy rolled his eyes, "No, I had to make sure to keep this one alive because I know you well enough to know you would kill yours first chance you got." He gestured to the pile of monster dust beside her while Clarisse just shrugged with a slight smirk still tugging at her lips.

Percy turned back to the dazed monster and pinned her down with a foot to the back.

"So, Heather was it?" He asked casually. "I believe I asked you a question. Given your current situation, I think it would be in your best interest to start talking."

The Empousa seemed to come to her senses and struggled under his foot but her attempts to free herself did not get far.

"Go to Tartarus half-breed." She hissed back, spitting on the ground as she spoke until Clarisse kicked her in the face, leaving her hissing in pain as blood leaked from her nose.

"I've been there actually," Percy mused in a slightly amused tone. "I really don't see what you monsters whine about so much, it really wasn't that bad."

Before the Empousa could respond, shouting from the other side of the street put both Clarisse and Percy on alarm.

"Hey! What the Hell are you doing to that lady? Get off her fool!" A half-dozen older teens were crossing the street, looking less than pleased at what they saw. They looked to be in their late teens, maybe early twenties; a mixture of ethnicities, black, white and Hispanic and mostly decent sized males.

"Fucking mist," Percy cursed under his breath.

As they reached the sidewalk, Clarisse reached to her back and pulled out a gun, aiming it for the head of the lead teen.

"Piss off kid, this isn't your business." She growled but the teens did not back off. The continued looking ready to kill Percy and Clarisse first chance they got.

Percy pressed his foot harder into the Empousa's back, "You really want to help her out? Take a good look before you do and see if you still feel the same."

The teens glared at Percy but he simply snapped his fingers twice, removing the mist that shielded the monster's true form, before he pointed down.

The teens looked down at the woman in confusion before one by one their eyes widened and looks of horror appeared on their faces. They looked torn between fear and disbelief as they saw her true form.

"What the hell is that?" One yelled in fear.

Percy smirked, "This is the sweet old lady you're trying to defend.

"What the fuck is that? Who the Hell are you two?" Another yelled.

Percy couldn't help but smirk at his fear, "We're wizards kid. Now get lost before you get hurt."

The group of teens looked confused until Percy flicked his wrist and a puddle of water rose up and hovered next to him, "That's right, wandless magic bitch, get to steppin before I unleash some Harry Potter shit on your ass."

The group of teens stood frozen before Percy narrowed his eyes and the water shot toward them. A few screamed before the entire lot spun on their heels and sprinted away from Percy and Clarisse and their captive.

"You know," Clarisse whined, "you could have let me shoot them."

Percy didn't respond, instead driving Riptide through the monster's shoulder causing her to cry out in pain.

"Who is your master?" He growled twisting the blade as the cries of pain got louder.

"I'd rather die Jackson. Enjoy this moment, you're as good as dead anyway."

Percy twisted the blade again but when she didn't speak, he sighed, "Fine. Enjoy Tartarus you ugly bitch."

His sword moved with lightning speed as he pulled it from her shoulder and drove it into the back of her head before the Empousa dissolved into a pile of monster dust.

Percy shook the dust from his blade before putting the cap to the end of the weapon as it shrunk back down into a ball point pen that he tucked into his pocket.

"Well that was productive." Clarisse grumbled to which Percy sighed tiredly.

"Let's get to my siblings before we run into any more trouble."

Clarisse scoffed, "If only we were that lucky, I forgot how much fun it is to kill these things."

Percy made his way into the door, taking the stairs up to the twentieth floor where his siblings were apparently living. Once at the door for apartment 221B, he stopped for a moment, trying to think of how exactly the best way of handling the situation would be.

"Well?" Clarisse asked wondering why he wasn't knocking.

"I'm thinking," he snapped a bit at her. "I can't just walk in and say give me the kids. These aren't monsters, this needs to be handled carefully, I don't want a warrant to go out for our arrest for kidnapping my siblings."

Clarisse sighed impatiently but didn't respond. A minute later, Percy decided to wing it as best he could and knocked on the door a few times. As he waited for someone to answer, he could hear a few voices but they were muffled through the doorway. After a minute and no answer, he looked at Clarisse confused. She merely shrugged and knocked on the door again, this time louder.

The knock was met with silence on the other side.

"Maybe they don't answer for strangers in this neighborhood." Clarisse offered but Percy felt the familiar tingle on his skin that alerted him of danger present. The hairs of the back of his neck stood up as he stared at the door, one hand reaching to his pocket for Riptide while the other checked to make sure the gun was still holstered at his side, hidden beneath his shirt.

Clarisse pounded on the door again to make sure not just that apartment but the entire floor heard them to which Percy silently glared at her. He reached for his back pocket, pulling out his wallet when he removed a credit card before tucking his wallet away again. He slid the card into the crack of the door, feeling his way to the lock until he felt the card slide underneath it. A gentle push slid the door open as he mentally sighed with relief the door only had one lock.

He silently crept into the apartment as Clarisse followed just as quietly. The stepped inside, finding it to be very small, barely larger than a studio and all rooms visible from the doorway.

"It's empty, no one's home." Clarisse announced as if Percy couldn't see what she could. The minute she finished speaking though, she felt a familiar feeling she had felt many times before in her life. She glanced at Percy to make sure he had noticed as well but the ballpoint pen gripped in his hand and narrowed eyes answered her unasked question.

Percy walked a little further into the apartment, stopping the middle of the room. He glanced back at Clarisse, an unspoken conversation occurring between them.

"Let's go, we can come back later when someone is home." Clarisse said seriously. Percy slowly nodded and turned to the door. Clarisse took a step towards the exit, her hand slyly creeping towards her wrist. The second her other foot hit the ground, a spear materialized in her hand as she spun to her left, thrusting the weapon into open space. She would have looked foolish had a scream of pain not filled the previously silent apartment.

The entire room erupted into chaos.

A half-dozen monsters that hadn't been visible a moment before, appeared around the room. Three Dracaena, an Empousa, a Cyclops and another Percy couldn't see clearly yet were scattered across the room. Percy scanned the room, Riptide at the ready until he found to small children crouched down behind the Cyclops, looks of utter terror on their faces.

A Dracaena lunged at Clarisse. She took a step back, flipping her spear in her hand and driving the butt into another of the Dracaena's faces. As the monster stumbled back, she plunged the business end into the monster that had lunged at her, wrenching it out as the monster began to dissolve. The Empousa thrust her own spear towards Clarisse, grazing her side and opening up a gash just big enough to really piss the daughter of Ares off.

Percy kept his eyes focused on the Cyclops. He only objective was now to make sure nothing happened to his siblings. As he glared at the one-eyed monster, one of the Dracaena used his distraction to lunge towards him.

Without even glancing in its direction, Percy ducked, flipping the monster over him where it landed at his feet. Before it could recover, he slammed his foot into its throat crushing the monster's windpipe as it tried and failed to breath until it made the quick trip to Tartarus.

The Cyclops stepped forward with a large club clutched in its mitts. The monster barely fit in the apartment and its movements were hindered by its limited mobility. Percy waited until it had stepped away from his siblings before charging. He used his mobility to keep away from the Cyclops, forcing it to awkwardly try to navigate the room.

Percy sprinted towards it, jumping over a chair and going into a baseball slide, slashing across the monster's Achilles tendon eliciting a cry of pain as it dropped to a knee. Percy jumped to his feet behind it and didn't hesitate to drive Riptide down to the hilt through its back. The Cyclops barely had time to grunt in pain before its body began to dissolve.

Percy looked up to find Clarisse pulling her spear out of the last monster, a look of satisfaction on her face. Before he could speak, clapping came from the corner of the room, drawing both demigods' eyes as Percy quickly backed up to put himself in front of the children.

"My, my," a voice spoke with a dark laugh, "the mighty Percy Jackson, here to save the day again." From the sound of the clapping materialized a medium sized figure dressed all in black. The voice showed it was a male but gave little other details about the speaker; a hood covered his head and provided an unnaturally dark shadow that gave him the appearance of nothing more than a black void where the face should be.

"You truly do not disappoint; the mighty hero of Olympus here to save the day yet again." Amusement could be heard in the voice as he seemed to be looking at Percy though it was only a guess by the direction his head was pointing.

"Who are you?" Percy growled unamused by whoever this was and the fact he was in the apartment of his siblings with a crew of monsters.

"Right to the point Mr. Jackson." He said pointing in Percy's direction. "I've always admired that about you. But I don't think this is the time," he mused, "no, I think I'll have to save that for a later date my friend."

Percy scowled at the way the man seemed to be enjoying this so immensely. But before he could respond, Clarisse did.

"There won't be a later date." She spat charging from the other side of the room. Just as she was within striking distance, the man spun and held up a hand.

Clarisse froze in her tracks, a look of genuine fear on her face at the power being used on her. She wasn't sure why, but she was completely immobilized. It wasn't that time had stopped, just her. It was as if her body was suddenly frozen, unable to move anything more than her eyes.

He turned back towards Percy shaking his head slightly.

"Slumming it a bit these days Jackson?" He mocked. "Though I suppose without your true love, you probably don't care much who you use as your little girly sidekick."

Percy felt his anger spark at the man's words. He knew how to get Percy going and was doing exactly that.

He turned back to the still immobilized Clarisse and tilted his head to the side slightly.

"I believe I was having a word with my dear friend Percy, I think your part in this conversation has ended." He brought his other hand around and thrust it towards Clarisse. She was knocked back by an unseen force straight into the wall where she crumpled to the ground in an unconscious heap.

He brushed his hands together casually, "There, alone at last."

"What do you want?"

The figure stared at Percy and despite not being able to see his face, he assumed a smile was plastered on his face.

"Want? Who says I want anything?"

Percy opened his mouth to speak but the man continued.

"You know, the legends about you build you up pretty high; the mighty slayer of Kronos and leader of the Seven who sent the Earth Goddess back into her slumber. I really just had to see the man behind the legend for myself. Whether or not you live up, that is yet to be determined. Only time will tell my old friend."

Percy felt his anger bubbling up. He was simply being toyed with and he wasn't a fan of it. If he was alone, he would attack but he refused to leave his spot in front of the children. As his anger continued to grow, he felt a familiar tug in his guy. The kitchen sink and counter shook before water burst out of the faucet. It shot toward the figure who seemed genuinely surprised, vanishing just in time before it hit him and reappearing a few feet away. The water shot toward him again but this time he was ready. He jumped away at the last second as the water went through the window, sending shards of glass to the street below.

"Enough!" He snapped pulling a dagger from his waist and hurling it in the direction of the kids. Percy slid to his knees in front of them, Riptide barely being raised in time to stop the blade from striking Percy in the chest.

Percy rose to his feet. Water still poured from the sink still but he hesitated to use it again in case the man attacked his siblings again.

"What do you want? You want to kill me? Fine, let's fight. These are children; they are not a part of this!"

A dark laughter filled the room, so loud the man threw back his head to really enjoy his amusement.

"Kill you? I don't want to kill you Percy. Killing you would be a gift; a chance for you to be with that little slut in the Underworld."

The hand holding Riptide twitched but Percy kept his cool. "Then what do you want?"

"No, no Percy. This is just the first date. Despite what others might say, I'm no whore. I can't give it away on our first encounter. This is just the beginning my friend. We will have a long courtship I'm afraid, filled with lots of foreplay and other fun activities. But in the end, you will know the hand that took everything from you. Be patient Hero of Olympus, we're just getting started."

Before Percy could reply, a shadow descended on the figure as he vanished from sight.

His anger vanished instantly as Percy turned around making sure his siblings were okay. He looked at Clarisse who was starting to come around before taking a knee in front of the terrified children.

"Are you hurt?"

The boy shook his head nervously, staring at Percy as if he were a monster.

"It's okay now. He is gone, I'm not going to let anything happen to you two, I promise. My name is Percy and you might not believe this, but I'm actually your older brother." Both children's eyes went a little wide but they didn't respond. Percy looked at them sympathetically, "Why don't we start slow, what are your names?"


	7. Ch. 7

The two children looked up at Percy nervously; neither seemed to be able to form any words for a minute until the girl finally spoke.

"I'm Zoë and this is my brother Lucas." She more whispered and Percy thought he hadn't heard her correctly.

"Zoë and Luke?" He asked in almost disbelief.

She nodded nervously and Percy wiped the surprised look from his face. He'd have to ask his father why he named his children after Percy's dead friends but for now he needed to get them out of this apartment before any other trouble showed up.

Before Percy could get another word out, the boy slipped past him and ran across the room, sitting on his knees in front of the motionless body of a woman who Percy had not noticed until then. The boy shook the woman trying to get some kind of response but Percy could already tell the woman was dead.

"Aunt Rosa, wake up." Lucas pleaded, a sight that broke Percy's heart. The boy laid his head on her chest and Percy could see his body shaking from silent sobs.

Clarisse finally got back to her feet and made her way over to the woman. She knelt down and put a finger to her throat before looking at Percy and shaking her head. She knelt down next to the boy and started to talk to him with a softness in her voice that Percy had never seen before.

Percy looked down at the girl, "Are you okay? Did he hurt you at all?"

She bit her lip timidly but shook her head. Percy stayed on a knee and slowly offered his younger sister his hand, "I need you to trust me. We need to leave this place before any other monsters show up."

She looked at Percy's hand for a second and then up into his face where she found and almost identical pair of sea green eyes that she and her brother both had. She hesitantly reached up and took his much larger hand in her own.

"Are you really our brother?" She whispered quietly.

Percy nodded softly, "I am. I want to take you somewhere safe if you'll let me."

She glanced at her twin and then back to Percy and slowly nodded. He started to lead her towards the door when he felt a gentle tug on his hand. He looked down to find Zoë's eyes trained on the body of her aunt.

"What about Aunt Rosa?"

Percy pursed his lips, "I will come back for her. Once I get you somewhere safe, I promise I will come back for her."

She looked at her aunt for another moment before stepping up to Percy's side. She barely made it up to his waist but clung close to his leg. Percy reached down and scooped her up without a word. After tensing for a moment, she relaxed in his grasp and laid her head on his shoulder, closing her eyes to block out the sight of her now destroyed home. Percy felt his shoulder moisten and realized she was silently crying on his shoulder. He ground his teeth and swallowed the anger that was starting to bubble up inside him.

He stopped at the door and looked at Clarisse who was still knelt down talking in whispers to the boy. She caught Percy's eyes and stood up.

"Come on squirt. It's time to go." She said gently. The boy slowly nodded and allowed Clarisse to scoop him up as well as she followed Percy out the door.

Percy gave her an appreciative nod as he turned and the left the apartment, making his way down to the street and flagging down the first cab he saw. Once inside, the driver asked for an address and Percy suddenly realized he hadn't thought about where to bring them. Without thinking, he blurted out the address of his Mom and Paul's apartment.

As they rode there, he wondered how he would explain this to his mother. I mean sure, she was happily married to Paul, but bringing two children of her old lover with another woman was not exactly what she wanted to see. He hoped she would understand how important their safety was to him and he needed a place to hold them until he found a more permanent residence for the young demigods.

Sooner than he would have liked, the cab pulled to the side of the street, the cabby looking back for money as they had arrived outside the Blofis' apartment building. Clarisse handed some cash up to the driver as she and Percy led to two young demigods onto the sidewalk.

"Where are we?" The little boy asked looking at the unfamiliar neighborhood around them.

"This is my house. We're going to bring you there. You'll be safe here."

Lucas did not respond, just nodded his head and grabbed hold of his sister's hand as Percy and Clarisse brought them inside, keeping the two children between them, just to be safe. To say the two were unsettled about how things played out in the children's apartment would be a huge understatement. The only reason they were still alive is because the man was simply toying with them, Percy in particular. Despite having no idea of who the figure was, it was clear he had a thing for Percy and a strong interest in messing with him in any way he could.

The elevator dinged and the doors opened as they arrived on the floor that Percy's parents lived on. After a short walk, he found himself in front of the door still unsure how this was going to play out. Bringing two powerful half-bloods into his mother's apartment was a risk. Their scent alone was dangerous enough and the last thing Percy wanted was to put his Mom or Paul in danger.

The door swung open a few seconds after knocking, a big smile on Sally Jackson's face when she saw her son and Clarisse. She caught sight of two smaller heads standing between them and her smile vanished, her expression changing to one of confusion.

"Yeah," Percy said a little nervously. "We should probably talk."

Sally looked at him and then at Clarisse, noticing a small bit of dried blood in her hair from the battle and quickly ushered them inside. Clarisse led the children into the living room while Sally pulled Percy into the kitchen by the arm.

Once in the room, Sally didn't even have to ask, her expression clearly waiting for an explanation for the two small children sitting silently with Clarisse.

"If I had anywhere else to bring them, I would. They were attacked by monsters and we had to get them out of there. Their guardian was killed and they were alone."

Sally nodded, she had assumed it had been a monster issue but she noticed how nervous Percy still looked and knew there was more.

"What else?"

Percy ran a hand through his hair, "They aren't just half-bloods." Sally raised an eyebrow at this and Percy sighed."They're my siblings."

A myriad of emotions flashed through the face of Sally Jackson before finally stopping with a small smile.

"You have a brother and sister?"

Percy nodded.

"That's wonderful." Percy felt the weight of the world fall off his shoulders at those words before Sally turned serious again. "But they should go to Camp Half-Blood. They won't be safe until they're there, you know that."

Percy nodded knowing this was true. He had no wish to go to camp but he knew they had to go there. He was just hoping to buy himself a little time to speak with his father and find someone to bring the children to camp.

"I know that. I just need some time. I need to handle a couple things. I was hoping…" He trailed off watching for her reaction.

Sally smiled and nodded, "They are your family, of course they are welcome here Percy."

Percy gave his mother a crooked smile and she couldn't help but be reminded of his father, "Have I ever mentioned how much I love you?"

Sally rolled her eyes but you could see she was happy, "Yes; now go take care of whatever you need to do."

"I'm going to leave Clarisse here too. They are nervous and I don't want to just drop them off alone with two adult strangers." He explained, not telling her the entire truth. The real truth was that he was nervous after his encounter with the dark figure and he really didn't want to leave the kids or his parents alone at the moment. Clarisse was one of the two people he trusted with his and his loved ones' lives and he knew she would die before letting them be harmed.

-x-

After explaining what he was doing to Clarisse and telling the kids he was going to take care of their Aunt Rosa, Percy found himself alone standing outside the Empire State Building. He made his way inside, wading through the tourists until he found the security guard sitting behind a desk by the elevator with a newspaper in front of his face.

"I need the key to get upstairs," Percy said casually, "To the top."

"There is no key kid. You'll have to wait in line with the rest of the tourists and pay for a ticket to ride on the tourist elevator."

Percy shook his head, things apparently don't change much. He leaned over the desk and tipped over the cup of coffee, spilling it all over the desk as the security guard jumped up in alarm.

"What the Hell kid?"

Percy ignored him and looked at the coffee. He twirled his finger out in front of him, stopping the coffee in its tracks and spelling out the word, 'KEY TO OLYMPUS?', in the coffee and waiting for the guard to notice.

The security guard reached for the phone to call someone to take him away but stopped when he saw the coffee. He looked up at Percy, finally looking at him for the first time since he arrived.

"Yes, I'm Percy Jackson. Here to see Lord Poseidon, my old man. Could I get the key now?"

The security guard looked surprised, "Percy Jackson? Like the Percy Jackson?" He said in shock. "I'm sorry my lord…"

Percy held up his hand stopping the guy from speaking, "Don't do that. I'm not a god, just a guy. You can call me Percy, the guy who you're about to give the key to Olympus."

The guard quickly pulled out the keycard from his pocket and handed it to Percy. "I'm sorry Percy, I didn't recognize you."

Percy smiled and tucked the keycard into his pocket, pulling out a few drachmas that he laid on the table. He made a sweeping motion with his hand as the coffee shot back into the cup, tipping it back upright as it did. Percy pulled out a ten dollar bill and set it next to the drachmas.

"Sorry about the coffee." He said before making his way to the elevator at last, sliding in the keycard when the doors shut and pressing the button for Olympus when it appeared.

The trip to his father's palace was easy; he kept his head down to avoid catching anyone's attention. Not that very many people on Olympus would recognize him but he wanted to avoid another situation like the one with the security guard. The last thing he wanted was to hear anyone else try to call him lord or gods forbid try to talk to him about the war with Gaea.

Nope, that was a topic he had no interest in discussing.

As he made his way to the palace doors, he was surprised to find them open on their own accord, as if they recognized him. He found his father in the living room, no television on and a look of worry plastered on his face. When he noticed Percy, his expression didn't change.

"I saw what happened," he started before Percy cut him off.

"Did you now?" He said dryly, "Well thank you for the help. Not like there was some super powerful being waiting for me when I got there."

Poseidon opened his mouth to respond but Percy cut him off again already knowing what he was going to say, "Yeah, yeah, ancient laws. I know the drill. I was just saying, you know, an Iris-Message letting me know I was walking into a trap would have been nice."

Poseidon frowned, deciding not to try to argue with his son when he still had more news Percy wasn't going to like.

"I'm heading to a council meeting," he said not meeting Percy's eyes, "and your attendance is, uh, requested."

"What? Why?"

Poseidon looked at his son, knowing Percy already knew the answer.

"Fine," Percy sighed before a little mischievous smirk tugged at his lips, "I doubt my attendance is very optional but seeing as Athena swore to protect me with her life, why don't you go on ahead, I think I'd like to walk there."

Poseidon's smirk was identical to the one his son had before he chuckled, "That sounds fair to me. Just let yourself in when you get there." He said before the sea god dissolved into a sea breeze without another word.

-x-

Percy took his time. He went upstairs and checked on Frank, only to find him still snoring in his narcotic induced sleep, before he left the palace, taking a scenic route as he walked silently through the bustling streets of Olympus. Nymphs, dryads, satyrs and other nature spirits filled the streets, some selling different things; ambrosia on a stick, double nectar shot expressos and other godly and mythical items.

Percy kept his eyes down and his hood up as he walked. Although annoying Zeus was an added plus, he really wanted the time to think as he walked. He knew the gods wanted to know about the dark figure but the fact was that Percy didn't know much about him.

Well, not much other than he both infuriated and terrified him at the same time.

Something about the man was off. He was scary powerful, something he showed in the apartment but he didn't give off a godly aura. It was strong but different than anything he had come across. It was dark and evil but not necessarily godly.

Percy shook his head as he found himself outside the doors of the throne room. He had been so caught up in his thoughts that he hadn't even noticed he was already there.

Taking a deep breath and preparing himself for an audience with twelve immortal beings, most of which he trusted about as far as he could throw, he shoved the throne room doors open and stepped inside.

He got the welcome he had expected. Zeus looked furious, if not still a little pale from his near death experience the night before. Half the other gods looked irritated at his late arrival while Hermes, Poseidon and Apollo looked amused by the reaction his late appearance was getting, though Apollo did look at Percy a little warily after the previous night's drama.

"Finally!" Zeus growled from his throne.

Percy walked into the middle of the throne room and bowed, "I apologize for my tardiness my lords and ladies, I had to check on the health of my friend Frank after he was almost killed last night." His tone showed he was anything but sorry but he knew enough to go through the motions with the Olympians. A number of gods looked almost apologetic, including the three from the bar the night before, while Poseidon hid a smirk at how well his son could carry himself in front of the council, being rude while being polite at the same time.

"Let's get to the point," Zeus grumbled as Percy made his way not to his father's throne but instead to the hearth. The eight year old goddess gave him a warm smile and conjured up a seat for him to sit in as she poked at the coals of the hearth.

"It seems my brother has taken it upon himself to have not one but two demigods sometime in the past five years." Poseidon shot a murderous look at Zeus who moved on quickly, "and it seems that this mysterious being was there when Perseus went to retrieve them. This meeting was called so that we could hear first-hand about the being from Perseus himself."

All eyes in the room went to the demigod seated by the warm flames of the hearth. Percy stood up and recounted everything that happened in the apartment to which the gods looked no clearer on the identity of the being.

"He gave you no hint to his identity? Did it seem like a Titan or perhaps a god you have met in your journeys?" It was Athena who first spoke after Percy recounted his tale.

He just shook his head, "No, I'm almost positive I've never heard that voice before. But for some reason, he thinks he knows me. He kept hinting that this was our romance and that it would be long and drawn out before it ended." A number of gods raised eyebrow at this. Percy just shrugged, "Trust me, it was creepy. If I knew who it was, I'd tell you in a heartbeat. The last thing I want is some stalker dude trying to ruin what's left of my life."

The council was silent, thinking about Percy's story. The truth was, the list of possibilities was long. In his long and historic life as a demigod, Percy had no short list of enemies made over the years.

"What about powers? You said he was powerful," surprisingly, it was Hera who spoke next. "Did he show any other powers than the ability to manipulate shadows?"

Percy thought back to the fight and nodded, "He did something to Clarisse. When she charged at him he somehow froze her in her place." This caused a few Olympians to pale before Percy continued, "not froze her in time, just stopped her. She said it was like there was an invisible wall that pinned her in place on both sides. Other than that, I don't know. I didn't really try to attack him. My priority was my siblings and he seemed more interested in hearing himself talk than attacking, at least this time, so I just let him rant until he was finished."

The council went silent again. Percy retook his seat by the hearth, glancing at the child-like goddess next to him. Hestia winked at him, something that forced a smile to his lips. She had to be his favorite goddess of all time.

Percy sat through the rest of the council meeting in silence. He thought about speaking up when Zeus starting to complain about the two new children of Poseidon but Zeus relented after being reminded that he would have to go through Athena to harm them thanks to her oath on the Styx to save his hide. Other than that, the meeting wasn't too exciting. The gods postulated possible threats but that really got nowhere.

Soon enough, the council was dismissed. The gods all flashed out with the exception of Poseidon who walked over to the hearth where Percy was still whispering to Hestia, something they had done for the majority of the council meeting. She, asking about his life since leaving camp and he, more than willing to tell the kind goddess about his life.

Poseidon cleared his throat, "I am returning to my palace. I must go to Atlantis shortly and I believe we need to have a conversation."

Hestia stood up, brushing a hand on Percy's cheek before she stepped into the hearth and was consumed by its flames.

"Let's start with why you named the two kids after my dead friends." Percy said deciding here was a fine enough place to talk.

Poseidon's eyes widened a little, not expecting that to be his first question. He sighed and answered honestly.

"To be honest, there have not been a lot of great female heroes. I know that hunter was important to you and I wanted to give her a name to live up to, like your mother did with you." Percy nodded slowly, accepting his reasoning even though he found it a little strange to now have a sister named after his deceased friend.

"And Luke?"

Poseidon shrugged, "Hermes' boy made a great sacrifice. Even if the rest of the council forgot what he did, I know you did not. I did not do it to disrespect your friends, I did it to honor them. Now they both are named after great heroes, maybe one day living up to their namesakes or perhaps, even their older brother."

Percy was silent. He wasn't upset with his father's reasons. To be honest, he was happy. It was a way to honor his fallen friends. He'd get over the weirdness of it soon enough.

"And now what? I can't keep them at Mom's. It's too dangerous to her and Paul to have two powerful demigods there for very long."

"They must go to Camp Half-Blood. If you do not wish to bring them, I will arrange a transport for them by the end of the day."

Percy looked at his feet for a moment. He felt like he was being a baby, refusing to bring his own siblings into camp just because he didn't want to be reminded of memories he had there. He decided he needed to grow up and stop hiding from his onetime home.

"I'll do it. I'll get them settled in but don't think I'm staying there. My life is not there anymore. I'm only on leave and I'm going back to Afghanistan when the time comes."

Poseidon smiled and put a hand on Percy's shoulder, "I know that. Your life is yours to live Percy. I will not try to persuade you to do anything you don't want to. Thank you for taking care of them."

Percy looked up at his father, though his father wasn't much taller than him in his human form.

"Thanks Dad."

Poseidon's smiled grew before his body dissolved into a sea breeze leaving Percy alone in the throne room. He quickly made his way to the door, not wishing to run into Zeus or another Olympian by lingering too long.

Unfortunately for him, he walked out of the throne room and found a surprising person waiting for him outside, one he was less than thrilled to see looking at him on the steps outside the throne room.

Artemis, the goddess of the moon, stood waiting with an expression that left Percy more than a little nervous about his immediate welfare.

"Perseus," she said in a stoic tone.

"Lady Artemis," he said trying to be respectful. He had a bad feeling about the coming conversation after the way he went off on her in the bar. At the time, he had some liquid encouragement that made his rant a little more colorful than his sober self would have done. Now that he was sober, his mind quickly realized how little he wished to spend the rest of his life as a Jackelope.

"A word, if you don't mind." She said in the same stoic tone.

Percy just nodded, feeling he was off to a good start considering she didn't just blast him to dust on the spot.

He was surprised to find the goddess looking somewhat uncomfortable, her eyes trained on something behind him.

"About the events of last night," she said a little awkwardly. Percy remained stone-faced, wondering what she had to say. "That was not what I wanted to do, I was following the orders of my father."

Percy was silent for a moment, wondering exactly how to phrase his response. Soon, he found a pair of silver eyes looking at him expectantly.

"Do I have permission to speak freely?"

She looked surprised but nodded her head, her eyes narrowing ever so slightly as she did.

"This really isn't necessary. I'm sure this is the closest an Olympian has ever come to apologizing to a mere mortal like me but really, you don't have to." Artemis looked ready to respond but Percy continued. "The fact that it was you was surprising but that you gods tried to deceive me, that was expected. I mean no offense by this but if you want the truth, I believe roughly five percent of things that come from the mouths of immortals. So no disrespect but like I said, this really isn't necessary, your apology means about as much as one of your Olympian oaths on the Styx."

Artemis' mouth hung open slightly, her face marred in a look of utter disbelief. She couldn't believe his response. Every fiber of her being wanted to turn him into a small animal and cast him off Olympus right then and there. Soon her shock morphed into more and more anger. No matter how many times he said he meant no disrespect, that was exactly what she felt at that moment, disrespected.

"How dare you?" She growled. She was in the form of a twelve year old girl and to an outsider, she looked like a little girl throwing a fit about something her older brother just told her. "We keep our promises, we fulfilled every single request of your wish after the Titan War. The only reason I don't turn you into an animal here and now is because you were once a respectful and honorable hero, not a whiny little boy, upset he isn't getting his way."

Percy snorted derisively, knowing he was pushing his luck but really he couldn't help himself.

"Kept your promises?" He laughed humorlessly. "Tell me Lady Artemis, do you even remember what it was that I asked for?"

Artemis opened her mouth when Percy cut her off, his own anger growing.

"No!" He growled. "I'm not a scared child who trembles at the feet of you Olympians anymore. No matter how many times we demigods do your bidding, it's never enough. You ask and ask and when we've given all we can, you cast us aside. You want to know why I really turned down godhood? I would never want to be like all of you."

Artemis' body flickered silver and it was clear she was struggling to control her divine form. Percy shook his head, "All I asked for was that you pay attention to your children, recognize the minor gods, and finally release a friend from a harsh punishment. You built cabins, that's it. You don't care about the demigods, you don't recognize the minor gods any more than you used to and Calypso still sits on her island, tormented by her solitude as you heartless beings continue throwing heroes at her and watch her heart be broken time and time again."

Artemis looked a little bit surprised by his rant though her anger still simmered just below the surface, itching to attack the disrespectful demigod.

Percy reached into his pocket and pulled out one of the pearls that his father gave him before he rescued his siblings.

"You called the Titans evil, but tell me, are you truly any better?" Before Artemis could respond, Percy dropped the pearl and stomped on it, his body vanishing from the spot where he left the furious moon goddess.


	8. Ch. 8

Ch. 8

A certain goddess of the moon was still fuming.

Her encounter with Percy Jackson outside the throne room on Olympus had set her blood boiling and she needed to take her anger out on someone or something soon before she lashed out towards her hunters. She was silent as she led them up Half-Blood Hill. She decided to leave them at camp while she took out her growing anger on any monster foolish enough to be within a one hundred mile radius of the goddess.

Yes, a hunt was necessary for her to vent some of her anger and frustration towards that disrespectful half-breed.

As they reached the crest of the hill, half a dozen campers in full battle armor could be seen standing around the Golden Fleece. The loss of the tree's guardian had left the responsibility of guarding the fleece to the campers.

After initially becoming alarmed and preparing to attack, the campers seemed to recognize the goddess and her eternal maidens as they could be seen whispering nervously to each other and standing in a non-aggressive formation by the giant tree that was once her lieutenant.

Artemis couldn't help but be pleased by the reaction the arrival of her hunters received from the campers. It was a mixture of fear and respect, along with perhaps a bit of resentment, but it all pleased the goddess who enjoyed the fact her hunters instilled fear in the hearts of other demigods, especially the male ones.

The hunters all smirked silently as they passed the quiet campers. As they reached camp, Artemis sent her hunters into her cabin with the exception of Thalia who she knew would like to see Chiron seeing as it had been almost a year since their last visit to Camp Half-Blood.

As they approached the steps of the big house, Artemis was surprised that Chiron was not out to greet them. He was usually aware of their arrival before they even crossed the borders. She led Thalia to the door which she opened without knocking. When the door opened, she heard Thalia gasp at the scene before them.

Percy Jackson stood a few feet into the house, his arms wrapped around the Centaur who had a few tears leaking from his eyes as he embraced one of his favorite students.

"Percy?" Thalia asked, her voice was a little choked from the shock of seeing Percy after so long.

He broke away from Chiron, turning around as his eyes widened when he saw Thalia. His eyes went from the demigod daughter of Zeus to the goddess, his smile vanishing. His hand instinctively went to his pocket and despite her anger, Artemis couldn't help but be a little impressed by his reaction. Boy or not, he had the instincts of a hunter.

Not that she would ever tell him that.

Thalia stepping forward, effectively stopping Percy's hand before it reached his pen.

"Percy," Thalia asked a little confused and her voice laced with a bit of hurt when she noticed he looked unhappy and perhaps a little nervous. "What's wrong?"

Percy shook off the feeling of being in danger and smiled again when he looked at her.

"Well, other than this odd smell of pinecones that suddenly just filled the room, nothing at all." He said, a small grin starting to spread across his face.

Thalia scowled good naturedly and closed the distance, wrapping her cousin in a tight embrace. She guessed this was not what her mistress wanted to see but at the moment, her happiness at seeing Percy made her push that thought away.

"I can't believe you're here." Thalia whispered.

It had been a long time since Artemis had seen that much happiness on the face of her lieutenant. Not since before the death of the daughter of Athena who had been Thalia's best friend. Despite the urge to maim Percy, she decided her huntress' happiness was more important than her thirst for vengeance.

Thalia stepped back, a little embarrassed of her show of emotion in front of her mistress, but she smiled at Percy anyway.

"What are you doing here Percy?"

"Jeez Pinecone face, do I need a reason to come visit my old mentor?"

Thalia glared at the nickname and waited, knowing Percy would not return to camp just out of nostalgia.

"No," Percy admitted turning more serious, "turns out Poseidon's been busy since the end of the Titan War."

Thalia raised an eyebrow.

"I've got twin siblings, a boy and a girl."

Thalia's eyes widened, "Really? Twins?"

Percy nodded, then glanced at Artemis who looked stoic though he figured she still wanted to kill him.

"Yeah, Lucas and Zoë," he saw both the goddess and Thalia look shocked at the names.

"Zoë and Luke?" Thalia asked, making sure she had heard him correctly.

Percy nodded, "Yeah, I just found out I had siblings today. My Dad wanted to name them after great heroes, like my Mom did with me, in hopes they could live up to the legacies of their namesakes." He noticed both huntresses' surprised expressions and continued, "The greatest huntress in the history of the hunters and the guy who gave his life to save the world… I suppose they could have worse names to try to live up to."

Hearing Percy's words seemed to have taken some of the fire out of the moon goddess' eyes. She glanced at Chiron who nodded and followed her outside so they could speak and allow the two demigod cousins to catch up.

Percy felt relieved when Artemis left. He had no desire to get chewed out at the moment. Instead, he wanted to focus on his friend Thalia. He had missed her over the past couple years. Not that he had seen her much since the end of the Titan War, but that just made it all the better seeing her again.

They spent the next forty minutes walking into camp and exchanging stories about their lives and adventures over the past few years. Thalia had her share of interesting stories with the hunters but she was more interested in where Percy had been. Though her chances were limited, she had tried to ask the campers about Percy as much as she could over the years, the lack of information the past couple years had weighed heavily on her heart. She could only imagine what he was like after Annabeth's death.

But she was pleasantly surprised when he seemed alright. She knew he would hide any of his pain from her but the fact he kept himself busy with a mortal life, even one as a soldier, was good to hear. She was also a little shocked when she learned how close he had grown with Clarisse and Frank.

Before she had a chance to ask him about his surprising friendships with the two children of the war god, Clarisse approached them with both kids in tow. They hadn't said much since Percy and Clarisse explained everything to them about being demigods. They hadn't even heard about the gods before being told by Percy other than their mother telling them when they were very young that their father was a very special man and being his children made them special as well. That was the only thing they knew about their father and they were having trouble understanding what it meant that he was a god.

"Are these the new sea spawns?" Thalia joked looking down at the two kids.

Both immediately took cover behind Clarisse's legs. Though they didn't know what she meant, being called a spawn was not hard to decipher as an insult, even for children.

Percy shook his head at Thalia who looked a little upset she had scared the two children. He knelt down in front of Clarisse and held out his hand to Zoë.

"Guys, this is our cousin Thalia. She likes to joke around a lot but she's actually very nice. She's here because she's excited to meet you two."

Clarisse stepped out of the way leaving a path between Percy and his two siblings.

Thalia smiled kindly at them, "Zoë and Luke, right?"

The both nodded shyly unsure of what else to do. Thalia knelt down so she was at their height. She kept smiling at them, "Well I'm Thalia and I'll be here at camp for a little while. I hope I'll have a chance to get to know my two new cousins."

"Are you a demigod too?" Luke asked relaxing a little and looking at Thalia with interest.

Thalia nodded, "Yup, I'm a daughter of Zeus," she said and to emphasize the point she held out her hand as it sparked with electricity. Both children's eyes went wide at the sight making Thalia's smile grow.

A conch horn sounded as the few campers who were out and about began to make their way to their cabins.

Thalia stood up, "I've got to get back to the hunters," she said looking at Percy again. "Don't be such a stranger Kelp Head. It won't kill you to send me an Iris-Message once a year just to say hi." To emphasize her point, she flipped a drachma at Percy who caught it. "There, first on is on me."

Percy rolled his eyes but nodded, "Alright Thals, I'll remember to keep in touch, I promise."

Thalia looked satisfied as she nodded to Clarisse and said goodnight to the two youngsters before she darted off towards Cabin Eight to meet up with the rest of the hunters.

Percy stood up and gave his siblings a reassuring smile before turning to Clarisse, "If you want, you can see if Mr.D will zap you back to Olympus. My Dad won't mind if you stay there again, Frank's still up there resting."

Clarisse glanced towards the Big House before shrugging her shoulders, "I'll just stay in the Ares Cabin. I've got a few new siblings I can to get to know. One night at camp won't kill me."

Percy smiled and led the twins to Cabin Three. Two new beds were already set-up with sea-green comforters and sheets full of sea creatures. Percy smiled when he saw the pillow cases decorated with different sea animals. He was surprised to find his old bed, just as he had left it, waiting for him when he stepped into the cabin. He knew his father was showing his gratitude for his help and while it was appreciated, he hoped Poseidon didn't think he was going to be a regular inhabitant of the Poseidon Cabin again.

"Percy?" Came the quiet voice of Luke from near his bed.

Percy turned his attention to him, happy to see his brother finally say something to him. Percy had been a little worried. Luke hadn't said more than two words to him throughout the day, sticking close to Clarisse and asking his questions through her.

"Being a demigod," his face showed a bit of nervousness, "what does that mean?"

Percy was silent for a second. His siblings were far younger than he was when he found out he was demigod. Instead of replying, Percy raised his hand. The salt water fountain in the corner of the room bubbled a bit before a stream of water slowly rose up and hovered over to the son of Poseidon.

"Our Dad, he's the god of all of oceans. Being his children means we are half-god, half-human. We have some of the special powers that our Dad has, like the ability to control water, or breathe underwater." The water circled around Percy before slowly floating towards the awestruck children. They both reached out and touched the water tentatively before smiling at the feeling it gave them when it touched their skin.

"What is our Daddy like?" Zoë asked quietly looking at Percy for answers.

Percy smiled, "Out of all the gods, our Dad is the best. He loves his kids more than anything in the world..."

"Then why haven't we ever seen him?" Lucas interrupted.

Percy's smile only grew, "You have, you just don't know it." They both looked unsure until Percy continued. "Think back to when you were young; if you think hard enough, you'll remember a warm feeling, a smile. That is Dad when he comes to see us. Being a god means he isn't allowed to see us as much as he wants. But he is there, more than any of the other gods. His kids are the most important thing in the world to him. If he could, he'd spend all his time with us. But there are rules that make it so he can't see us as much as he wishes he could."

Both Zoë and Luke were in their beds now. Percy sat on his bed watching them as they listened to his words.

"Will we ever see him?" Luke asked tiredly. The long day was taking its toll on the young demigods as they laid on their soft beds.

"Of course you will." Percy said with certainty. "He is the one who sent me to take care of you. He knew you were in danger and he made sure you would be safe."

Neither Luke nor Zoë responded to his declaration. They had often wondered about their father and whether he cared about them but the certainty in which Percy spoke made them slightly hopeful that they would meet their father soon.

"Are you going to live with us?" Zoë asked in a slightly apprehensive voice.

Percy wasn't exactly sure how to answer the question. He didn't want to say no; they were just starting to relax with all the revelations that had been dropped on them throughout the day.

"I will always be there when you need me. I will stay until you feel comfortable but I live somewhere else now." Percy felt bad saying he would leave them so he continued, "But I will stay here as long as you need me to. The people here are nice and just like you. Soon this will be the place you want to be. I was nervous when I first came here but it was the best thing that ever happened to me."

Percy waited for the next question but none came. Soon after, he heard the quiet breathing of his siblings as they slipped into the realm of Morpheus. He sent a silent prayer to the god, asking him to give the twins a night of happy and reassuring dreams while also throwing him a reminder of the pardon he got the minor god after the second Titan War.

Percy lay back on his bed, his thoughts swirling around in his head as he recounted the events of the last couple days. He had done himself no favors with the gods; he was sure Artemis would not be forgetting his little rant anytime soon, but he had only spoken the truth and it was about time someone did it. The ways the gods used mortals disgusted him. Though Artemis was better than most towards mortals, she had chosen the wrong time to try and speak to him.

Then there was this powerful being. Percy racked his brain trying to put a face to the voice; the way the man spoke to him made him sure they must have met at some point. He held too much anger towards Percy for there to be no connection between them. But no matter how much he tried, he couldn't figure out the identity. If he could just figure out who it was, then he would know what the campers were up against.

Percy sighed and sat up. His mind was too busy for sleep at the moment. He needed to clear his head and lying in bed with only his thoughts was not going to help. He went over to the dresser and pulled open one of the drawers, pleasantly surprised to see it stocked with clothes his size. He fished out a pair of athletic shorts and a t-shirt, sending a silent thank to his father before slipping back into his sneakers. He was about to head for the door when a thought hit him.

He silently prayed to Poseidon for an iPod and smiled when one materialized on top of the dresser. He flipped through the music until he found some Metallica; something that fit his mood at the moment.

Taking one last glance at his siblings to make sure they were still asleep, he slipped out the door and into the cool night. Camp Half-Blood was silent, only the sounds of monsters in the woods and crickets chirping could be heard as he slipped the headphones into his ears. He jogged over the beach and stopped as he looked out at Long Island Sound.

The night sky was illuminated by the moon and stars which shined brightly above him; something that was not a common occurrence in the pollution riddled Tri-State area.

Percy changed the song and turned to the water, taking off at a brisk jog and running right over the top of the sea as the water sloshed around underneath him. The lack of calm waters made the job more difficult forcing Percy to concentrate both on keeping the water beneath him from allowing him to sink and watching where he stepped. He ran hard, something he had grown to like since joining the military; the cool night air soothing him as he labored on. Being by the sea energized him. In the mortal world, he was never able to do things like this but he quickly realized how enjoyable not having to hide his demigod powers was.

A mile into the sound, Percy stopped; sweat pouring down his face from the run and the use of his water powers. He caught his breath and chuckled to himself as he thought about how much a mortal boat would be freaked if they came across him right then. Thankfully the mist was strong surrounding camp, including out into the sound and he knew he was still under the shield of its magical protection; hidden from the eyes of any mortals who might gaze upon him standing atop the water.

After he caught his breath, he began to jog back towards the beach at the same quickened pace. About half way there, he felt a presence behind him, a disturbance in the sea. He could feel something drawing closer as he ran. Before he even had a chance to turn around, a man jogged up beside him, a huge smile plastered all over his face.

Percy plucked his headphones out and kept running alongside the man, "Lord Hermes?"

Hermes grin just grew, "I like your style little cousin, nothing more relaxing than a late night jog. And the fact that you're running across the top of the sea, well that just gives it an extra touch of awesome."

Percy couldn't help but smile a bit. Hermes had always been pretty good to him starting with their first meeting on the beach at Camp Half-Blood when he sent Percy on his quest into the Sea of Monsters in search of Grover and the Golden Fleece.

Percy glanced at the beach as it came into view before he put his head down and really put it into gear. He used the water to his advantage, making it act like a springboard, kicking his feet up with every step and increasing his speed. Within seconds though, Hermes had caught up again with a mischievous look on his face.

"Come on Perce, fastest god alive here." He chuckled, keeping pace with Percy rather easily.

Percy smiled right back, "That's a good point but you forget, this is my home turf."

Before Hermes could ask what he meant, Percy flicked his hand as the jet of water shot into the legs of Hermes and sent him stumbling and struggling to stay on his feet above the surface of the sea. Hermes tried to recover but Percy kept flicking his hand towards the god, sending spurts of water that Hermes had to work to avoid while Percy continued to pull ahead. Percy waved his hand hard and sent a big wave towards Hermes as he raced onto the shore, breathing hard from the effort of the run and use of powers.

A moment later, a slightly dampened god of thieves jogged on the shore, scowling in Percy's direction. The look was more amused than anything as Percy enjoyed a laugh at Hermes' expense.

"You cheated." Hermes grumbled.

Percy wiped some of the sweat from his forehead, "I won. Something I learned in the mortal world; fairness is objective but winning is indisputable."

Hermes looked at the demigod and cracked a grin, "Touché little cousin."

Percy took a seat on the beach once his breath was caught. The messenger god took one next to him and snapped his fingers as a couple sodas appeared between them.

Percy grabbed one of the Cokes and took a long drink, quenching the thirst he had built up on his run.

"Gee," Percy mused, "what a perfect health drink for after a nice run."

Hermes smiled at the comment but didn't respond. Instead he just relaxed a bit and enjoyed the peaceful night. After a moment, his phone began to vibrate in his pocket. The god of messengers grimaced a little and pulled it out.

George and Martha slithered around the phone as Hermes' expression turned into a frown.

"Persssphone is calling for the fiffth time tonight." George informed the messenger god.

"Her lassst messssage threatened to turn you into a daisssy if you keep ignoring her." Martha continued.

"Tell her I'm in a meeting and I haven't forgotten she called." Hermes sighed tiredly, "Not that it's possible when she calls every twenty minutes." He muttered as the phone began to glow and turn into a caduceus. George and Martha circled the staff muttering complaints about being stuck in his pocket for the past couple hours.

"So," Percy mused after another minute of silence. "What brings you here tonight? Another mission to try to get me to stay at Camp Half-Blood?"

Hermes smiled good naturedly, "Actually no. I caught sight of you running along the water and couldn't help myself but to take a break from making deliveries and join you. Do you know how little time I have for a relaxing run these days?"

Percy eyed the immortal trying to find some kind of deception if his face. Hermes noticed this and rolled his eyes.

"Percy," Hermes said seriously, "there's no point in pretending anymore. Despite how much you don't want to be here, you're here. No matter how much you say you will, you're not going to leave the demigods to face this threat alone. I know you too well to believe you when you say you'll walk away. Your siblings being here is a dead giveaway. You would have never brought them here if you weren't sure you'd be able to watch over them. Not with a threat like this hanging over the heads of the campers."

Percy felt himself getting angry at the way Hermes presumed to know what he would and would not do. He opened his mouth to say something when Hermes made a closing motion with his fingers. Suddenly, Percy's voice was gone. He tried to speak but nothing came out as he glared murderously at the god next to him.

"Sorry," Hermes chuckled, "but I want you to hear me out and then you can go back to your denial and curse me out."

Percy stopped trying to speak, settling for imagining himself driving his fist into Hermes' smug looking face.

"Let's pretend you're willing to admit you're not going to abandon your new siblings in this dangerous half-blood camp for a minute," Hermes started not looking at Percy's angry expression. "The gods, we're rather worried about whatever this threat is. Our ability to help our children is limited. The best trained demigods we have are now immortal and as useless as we are in terms of helping the campers. But," Hermes looked back at Percy with a smile, "there is still you, the best of the best, a hero greater than Heracles, Theseus or the original Perseus. Do you know how badly we need you right now?"

Percy narrowed his eyes wondering how any of this was relevant to him staying at camp. He was well aware that they needed him.

Hermes smiled like he was reading his thoughts, "Yes, I know you know we need you. But I also know in the end you're going to help us. It's in your nature. No matter what, you'll always protect the people you care about, it's your fatal flaw, remember? Did you ever think about how you could make this work for you? Make it a way to get the things you want?"

Percy tried to say something, forgetting his voice wasn't there making Hermes smirk. He waved his hand again and Percy's voice returned. He rubbed his throat, even though it hadn't hurt, and looked at Hermes like he was wondering how he'd look with a sword in his chest.

"Don't presume to know what I'm going to do." He growled after a minute. "I hate when you gods think you can manipulate us mortals to do your bidding."

Hermes pinched the bridge of his nose, "Were you even paying attention to what I just said? I'm trying to tell you how to manipulate the gods to do your bidding. This is a chance no one has ever had. The gods need you Percy and with your father's protection, Zeus is unable to force you to do what he wants. I know you and I know you'll relent in the end. Why not get some things you want before you do? Zeus is going to ask for your audience in front of the council again tomorrow. He is determined to get your help and when he wants something, well, he's quite irrational when he doesn't get it. He may not be able to hurt you but he does have other ways to get to you. You're much better off to use this as a chance to gain something."

Percy didn't reply right away. He took a sip of his soda and looked out into the sound as he thought about Hermes' words. After a few minutes of silence he turned back to the messenger god as he twirled his caduceus absent mindedly in his hands drawing a number of protests from the dizzy pair of snakes wrapped around it.

Percy stopped the caduceus with a hand and nodded to Hermes, "Perhaps you're right, but I'm going to need your help with the first thing."

"Ratsssss," George said hopefully in Percy's mind. "Don't forget to asssk for some ratsss, Percccy."

Percy chuckled, "Okay George, that sounds like a plan." He said before looking at Hermes expectantly who rolled his eyes and snapped his fingers as two dead rats appeared on the beach at Percy's feet.

"I alwaysss knew I liked thisss one." George mused happily as Percy gingerly picked up the dead rat by the tail and held it out to George. He kept his eyes on the sea as George slowly consumed the rat, not really interested in watching his jaw dislocate as he slowly inhaled the rodent.

"Alwayssss my favorite demigod," Martha said approvingly as he held out the second rat for her to eat.

A few moments later, two plump looking snakes circled the caduceus very slowly, still singing Percy's praises as they started to sound more and more sleepy until Hermes turned the staff into a cellphone again and tucked it into his pocket.

Percy smiled at the messenger god and began to tell him his idea. Hermes' expression was surprised at first but soon it turned into a smirk with perhaps a bit of pride as he listened to his younger cousin explain his first request, one that was sure to get Zeus fuming.


End file.
